If nobody will be affected by CAA then why govt passed the law, tweets Chidambaram

Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Sunday said that if nobody is affected by the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as it stands at present, then why did the government passed the law.

Hitting out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chidambaram in a tweet said, "Home Minister says that no one belonging to the minorities will be affected by CAA. If that is correct, then he should tell the country who will be affected by CAA. If nobody will be affected by CAA, as it stands at present, then why did the government pass the law?"

Senior Congress leader also questioned why Muslims were excluded from the list of minorities mentioned in the CAA.

"If the CAA is intended to benefit all minorities (no one will be affected says the HM), then why were Muslims excluded from the list of minorities mentioned in the Act?," Chidambaram said in another tweet.

The CAA grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.

Protests have erupted across the country against the CAA since Parliament gave its nod to the law last year.