The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
‘CAA dangerous... Centre will extend cut-off date...’: CM takes on Amit Shah
CHIEF MINISTER Arvind Kejriwal Thursday said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act rules, which were notified earlier this week, will take away jobs and resources from the poor citizens of India. Urging Home Minister Amit Shah to pay heed to his objections, Kejriwal said the law was dangerous for the country’s security.
He also said the country should bring back those 11 lakh businessmen who left India over BJP’S adverse policies so they can create jobs for Indian youth.
Kejriwal was responding to Shah’ s statement that he had“lost his composure”. Speaking to ANI, Shah had said, “The Delhi CM has lost his composure after his corruption was exposed. He does not know that all these people have already come and are living in India. If he is so concerned, why doesn’t he talk about Bangladeshi infiltrators or oppose Rohingya? He is doing vote bank politics... He has forgotten the background of Partition and should meet the refugee families...”
Kejriwal, meanwhile, alleged the government could always extend the cut-off date to grant citizenship, which is December 31, 2014. “You (HM Amit Shah) said people who have come before 2014 will be given citizenship... Till now, illegal immigrants were scared of being jailed, deported. Now they will not be scared... The message is India is giving legal recognition to illegal immigrants from these countries. Today, you are talking about people who came before 2014... Next, you will extend the cut-off date for eligibility and make it 2024. You spoke about Rohingya. They came when you were in power. They came after 2014. How did they come? Because of your collusion or your incompetence?” Kejriwal said.
The AAP chief also said the country's youth will be robbed of jobs if CAA is implemented: “... You want to bring people from Pakistan, Bangladesh and settle them in the country... There are around 3 crore minorities in these countries... Coming to India and getting citizenship is like a dream for them... Even if 1 crore people come, how will we accommodate them?... Illegal immigrants from Pakistan will now be given government jobs... ration cards. Today, Delhi has around 72 lakh ration-card holders and these fall short. Time and again, we write to the centre to increase the number of ration-cardholders. The Centre does not do that, but it’s willing to give ration cards to people from Pakistan,” Kejriwal said.
He also said the country’ s securitywill be compromised if ca a is implemented. “I want to know from the people..., will you be agreeable to a jhuggi of immigrants from Pakistan being set up across the road from your house ?... will you be safe? will the country be safe? Pakistan might send some of its people. This is what I am worried about, Mr Home Minister... Why don’t we learn from other countries? Look at canada ... it opened its doors and people from across the world came and settled. Now they’re stopping migration. Look at UK. Other countries are stopping migration and you are opening your doors to the poor from other countries. Who will worry about the poor in our country?” he said.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, meanwhile, said Kejriwal had lost all empathy: “He doesn’t speak up against atrocities on Hindu and Sikh women in Pakistan and Afghanistan, let alone condemning shameful incidents like the recent desecration of temples... he has lost his moral compass...”