VHP to hold meetings to generate awareness on Citizenship Amendment Act

New Delhi [India], Dec 15 (ANI): Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliate Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) will hold nationwide public contact programs like meetings and symposiums on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA).

The contact programs will take place across major cities starting by the end of December to counter the opposition's narrative against the CAA.

Sources stated that the VHP would also be holding camps across the country to help refugees secure Indian citizenship.

Confirming that VHP will hold symposiums on CAA, Milind Parande, secretary-general, VHP said, "We will hold these meetings in big cities to generate awareness on CAA and this will be followed by camps to ensure the refugees get citizenship."

The move comes days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) decided to hold countrywide contact programmes to create awareness regarding the new Act. The CAA seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslims, who entered the country from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014.

Sources stated that contact programs, meetings, felicitation ceremonies and public awareness campaigns would be launched in various parts of the country where these refugee communities are settled.

RSS believes that non-Muslim communities need to be accepted and integrated fully into India. Through the program, the VHP aims to reach out to these marginalised communities and make them aware of the welfare measures that have been initiated for them by the government.

"They would be told that this law would now enable them to live with dignity in their ancestors' country and made them aware of the simplified process to acquire citizenship," sources added.

As per government estimates, there are lakhs of people who will be directly affected by the implementation of the CAA in the country.