As the debate over the recently passed Citizenship Amendment Act heats up, protests have been taking place in various parts of India.
On Tuesday, in the wake of violent protests, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that there was "no going back" when it comes to the CAA. He also said that though no timeline has been set for NRC yet, the government is firm that "both CAA and NRC would be implemented across the country".
Speaking at the India Economic Conclave, Shah said that there was nothing against minorities in the CAA and that the Modi government will ensure that the non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan get Indian nationality and live in the country with honour.
On Wednesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attacked the Union Home over violent protests against the new citizenship law, saying his job is not to set the country on fire but to put it out.
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' slogan, she said the BJP government has brought "satyanaash" (disaster) for everyone in the country.
Banerjee also wondered whether the BJP has become a "washing machine" for legitimising citizenship.
"I urge Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure that the nation does not burn. Your job is not to set the country on fire, but to douse it," she said after leading a protest march against the new citizenship law from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade in Kolkata.
To quote an earlier PTI report, where Shah was addressing the Rajya Sabha, he said, "People from all religions who are Indian citizens will be included. There is no question of any discrimination on the basis of religion. NRC is a different process and the Citizenship Amendment Bill is different."
And while that may well be accurate, a video that has recent surfaced on Twitter shows Shah as saying that people belonging to these minorities are not even required to submit documents to get citizenship.
The video in question is an extract from a video interview posted on YouTube by ABP News in October.
"NRC and CAB are linked. I want to make it clear that first the CAB will come, which will give all Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Sikh and Christian refugees citizenship. Then after that, whatever intruders are left, the work of marking them in the NRC will start," Shah can be seen explaining in the original video.
Keep in mind that the CAB has since been passed and is now an Act.
In the beginning of October, commenting on panic seen across West Bengal about a possible NRC exercise in the state, Shah had accused Mamata Banerjee of 'misleading' the people.
Addressing a convention on NRC at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata, he had also made it clear that all infiltrators will be identified and forced to leave the country, reported IANS.
"I want to assure the people of Bengal publicly that not a single refugee -- Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians, especially the Hindus as they are a big majority among them -- will be forced by the government of India to leave the country," said Shah.
He reiterates this in the video. All of these people, he adds, will get citizenship.
"Where is the question of NRC? We'll grant them citizenship. And there is not even any need for documents for this," he says, adding that this "drama" should end.
More recently, on Tuesday, Shah alleged that the agitations were 100% politically sponsored as some parties are trying to draw a wedge between Hindus and Muslims and that "no citizen needs to fear from NRC and CAA".
Speaking at an event he also asked students who are opposing the legislation to read it properly and understand its meaning.
"I want to tell our Muslim bothers and sisters, you don't need to fear. Those who are living in India, there is no need to fear. No one is going to lose Indian citizenship. The Congress is trying to mislead people. The legislation is on the website. Read it. Narendra Modi believes in 'sabka saath, sabka vikas'. No injustice will be done to anyone," he had said.
