CAA is for giving citizenship: Prakash Javadekar

Reiterating the Centre's stance, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said here on Wednesday the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is for giving citizenship to the persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, and not taking away anyone's citizenship.

Expressing dismay over some political parties politicising the issue and creating confusion among masses regarding the new legislation, Javadekarh said the provisions of Citizenship Act 1955 still exist and under which many have been given citizenship as well.

"The provisions of Citizenship Act 1955 are still there. Many have been given citizenship under it. Adnan Sami has been given citizenship under the same Act," said Javadekar while addressing the media here.

"When the Congress governments brought the National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), nobody raised the objection. When they did, it was good but when we did the same, it is bad," he said.

"When Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka came, they were given citizenship. No protest took place at that time," he added.

He said that the matter is now in the Supreme Court and the final decision is awaited.

"Now it is in the Supreme Court, which has given relief to the government for four weeks but the final decision is still awaited," he said.

CAA grants citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.