BJP ally SAD demands inclusion of Muslims in Citizenship (Amendment) Act

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday demanded that Muslims should also be included in the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in sync with democratic and secular principles of the country.

In a press statement, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said that Muslims from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh should not be excluded from the provision of the new law.

Badal said that he had made it clear in Parliament and continued to uphold the view that Muslims should not be excluded from the CAA in keeping with democratic and secular principles as well as the message of Guru Sahiban who preached welfare of all.

The SAD is a part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and had supported the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) in Parliament but had questioned the exclusion of the community.

According to the statement, Badal has received a memorandum from a delegation of the Muslim community members, which "appreciated his stand to include Muslims in the CAA."

During the debate on the CAB in Parliament on December 9, Badal had suggested that persecuted sects of Muslims should also be added to the legislation.

"Why don't we add names of Muslims? There are cases of Muslims being persecuted within their religion. I'll give you an example of the Ahmadiyya community in Punjab. Qadian is their headquarters. They're minority Muslims in Pakistan," Badal had said.

The CAA grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.