CAA to fulfill promises made by Gandhi, Nehru to victims of partition: Kerala Governor

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Saturday said that Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has been brought in place for fulfilling the promises made by Mahatma Gandhi and the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru to the victims of partition who were suffering religious persecution in Pakistan.

"NRC was introduced in 1985 for Assam by the Congress government at the centre. The decision to make it a pan-India regulation was taken in 2003. Congress party introduced this policy. Today, CAA has been brought to fulfill the promises made by Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru to the victims of partition who were suffering religious persecution in Pakistan," Khan told ANI.

"Pandit Nehru said that we are concerned about those who got parted and not been able to participate in our Independence. He said that we will take care of their well-being and they can come to India whenever they want. Pandit Nehru said this because there has been an objective and these people never demanded partition. They are victims of partition. Mahatma Gandhi on July 7, 1947, said that the Hindus and Sikhs living in Pakistan have the right to come to India whenever they want and the government of India should provide them with resources to lead a decent life in India," he added.

The Kerala Governor further said that India has given refuge to everyone historically but in today's context the country is short on resources.

"God willing, if we have enough resources, we will accommodate all," he added.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, 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.