Opposition creating confusion on CAA: Mahesh Sharma

Hyderabad: Allaying confusion on Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019, former union minister and Lok Sabha MP Dr Mahesh Sharma branded those who are opposing CAA are enemies of the country.

Addressing the media here on Thursday, he said, CAA is meant to provide citizenship to Hindu minorities of three Islamic neighbouring countries, who faced religious persecution and living in India as illegal migrants.

The CAA is not to take citizenship of Indians irrespective of religion. He affirmed that 130 crore people of the country are Indians and there is no threat to citizenship of any Indian.

Referring to the confusion created among people by opposition parties, the former union minister, who visited state BJP office, said the opposition should play a constructive role rather than destruction. He said those opposing CAA are not well-wishers of the country and they wanted to create hurdles in the way of development of the country.

Sharma said CAA is not a new law. Even former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Manmohan Singh had defended providing citizenship to persecuted Hindus of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

But they don't dare to implement it. In the history of BJP, the duo Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and Deendayal Upadhyaya initiated the work to provide citizenship to these minorities, who faced religious persecution in neighbouring Islamic countries.

Later, the task was pushed ahead by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani. Now, finally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah dared to implement the law after the Parliament passed it. Modi government has taken a courageous decision like GST, abrogation of 370, solution for Ayodhya issue, he said.

BJP MP asked as to how opposition parties are opposing the law which was passed by the Parliament. Replying to a question, he said now Hyderabad MP and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi is trying to prove himself as the messiah of Muslims.

He alleged that Congress and other parties like BSP and SP are in competition and are vying each other to become the leader of this vote bank.