CAA not to target Muslim citizens: Abdullakutty

March 13, 2024 07:06 pm | Updated 07:06 pm IST - KANNUR

Bharatiya Janata Party national vice-president A.P. Abdullakutty has said the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) does not target Muslim citizens of India.

Speaking to mediapersons in Kannur on Wednesday, he said the Act aimed to provide citizenship to persecuted refugees, not to strip anyone of their citizenship rights.

Mr. Abdullakutty accused the Left parties and the Congress of spreading misinformation among the Muslim community regarding the CAA, causing fear and confusion. He said people should not fall prey to such misleading narratives.

He said it was introduced to grant citizenship to persecuted individuals from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, as advocated by leaders, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In response to concerns raised during the introduction of the Citizenship Amendment Bill in 2019, Mr. Abdullakutty challenged detractors to cite instances where Muslims had lost their citizenship due to the CAA. He said the Act’s primary objective was to extend citizenship to marginalised refugees, not to disenfranchise any religious community.

He reiterated the BJP’s commitment to support any Muslim citizen facing citizenship issues, saying that the party stood ready to assist them. He denounced the propaganda surrounding the CAA, urging people to focus on its humanitarian purpose rather than succumbing to divisive rhetoric.