Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy on Sunday said that half of Bangaldesh’s population would leave that country if Indian citizenship was promised to them.
“Half of Bangladesh will be empty (vacant) if India offers citizenship to them (Bangladeshis). Who will take responsibility? Telangana CM KCR or Rahul Gandhi?,” he asked, while addressing a meeting to commemorate Sant Ravidas Jayanthi.
Mr. Reddy minced no words in criticising Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao and demanded that the latter prove in what manner the Citizenship Amendment Act was against 130-crore population of the country.
The Union Minister said some of the country’s leaders had sought citizenship for infiltrators and maintained that the Centre was ready to review the CAA. Claiming that the CAA was brought in to help certain persecuted communities in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, Mr. Reddy questioned the rationale behind the demand of some political parties to give citizenship to Muslims of these countries.
He opined that refugees and infiltrators should not be treated alike and faulted the Congress for favouring citizenship to infiltrators from Bangladesh and Pakistan. He pointed out that some refugees had been staying in India for more than four decades without any facilities and documents.
The Union Minister also decried the ‘vote-bank politics’ played by the TRS and the MIM.
