CAA a humanitarian law: BJP

The BJP on Saturday said Citizenship (Amendment) Act was a humanitarian step aimed at ameliorating the condition of persecuted religious minorities from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan who had taken shelter in India.

Accusing the Congress and other opposition parties of spreading lies about the CAA, BJP deputy general secretary (organisation) Shiv Prakash said by passing the amended act the Centre had only fulfilled a national duty.

"It is no act of kindness. It is just fulfilment of a national duty," the BJP leader said addressing a workshop on CAA chaired by state BJP president Ajay Bhatt.

He said Pakistan had failed to protect the religious minorities there as per the terms of Nehru-Liaquat accord and so India had to come up with the CAA.

Describing it as a humanitarian law, Shiv Prakash said the largest section of the persecuted religious minorities in these countries are Dalits or women.

Accusing the opposition parties including the Congress of misleading people over CAA, he said they were taking to desperate measures in their last battle for political survival.

Pradesh BJP president Ajay Bhatt asked party workers to go to people and foil the Congress' conspiracy of spreading lies about the CAA.

"Under the dynamic leadership of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah the country has seen many things happening which could not even be imagined earlier. CAA is another significant step like the abrogation of the provisions of article 370, 35 (A) or the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir. We must go to people and expose the Congress' conspiracy of spreading lies about the Act,"he said.