PM Modi's government announces implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) [Post Updated #85]

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="hi" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Watch?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Watch</a> Khatauli BJP MLA Vikram Saini says,"Pak ko bhi aisa kanoon banana chahiye jo muslim yahan par pidit hain unko Pak me nagarikta deni chahiye, adla badli kar lo,jo vahan pidit hain voh Hindustan aa jane chahiye, jo yahan pidit hain vo Pak chale jayen kaun rok raha hai." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CAA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CAA</a> <a href="https://t.co/P40QGsoD4L">pic.twitter.com/P40QGsoD4L</a></p>— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/1215591499703799808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Vikram Saini, Khatauli MLA from the ruling BJP party in India, has commented that Pakistan should make a new law - one equivalent to the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act in India.

Speaking to reporters in Uttar Pradesh, he said, "Pakistan should also make a law wherein Muslims feeling persecuted here [India] can get citizenship in Pakistan. Vice versa, people who feel persecuted there can come here."

Saini added, "Those who are persecuted here can leave and go to Pakistan, who is stopping them..."

This would not be the first time Saini has made such remarks.

Just a day after the controversial Article 370 revocation by the BJP party, of which Modi is at the helm as Prime Minister, Saini commented Muslims and bachelors in BJP can now marry 'gori' or fair-skinned Kashmiri girls without fear.

Article 370 granted Jammu and Kashmir special constitutional privileges - to protect the unique culture and demographic in the only Muslim-majority state in India. The special status included rules that non-Kashmiris could not buy land in the state or become permanent residents. This constitutional privilege was revoked by the Modi government in August, 2019.

The controversial Citizenship Amendment Act allows refugees escaping persecution from neighbouring Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh to get citizenship in India if they are non-Muslims. The terms and conditions for citizenship have also been amended through the act.

Seen as a discriminatory law targeting the Muslim minority, 200-million strong in India, protests have started up across the nation. State governments have also voiced dissent against the amendment that many believe will undermine the secularism that India's constitution is based on.

https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/ind...n-india-should-go-to-pakistan-1.1578657064580

 

[WebGuru]

These Go To Pakistan slogans are really boosting our tourism Thank You RSS BJP and Modi

 

[andy0204]

I have been listening to this kind of news for nearly six years,now it looks like a joke.

 

[troodon]

Go to statement for all ****** is Go to Pakistan.

Actually they should start saying Go to Middle East.

 

[CricketCartoons]

This is a shocking statement coming from a BJP leader. Very surprised.

 

[AdamM97]

These Go To Pakistan slogans are really boosting our tourism Thank You RSS BJP and Modi

Even got a mention on Forbes list!

And people say that Indians don't support Pakistan.

 

[WebGuru]

Even got a mention on Forbes list!

And people say that Indians don't support Pakistan.

And it was trending as a hashtag on Twitter India just a couple of days ago!

 

[andy0204]

This is a shocking statement coming from a BJP leader. Very surprised.

You should be more surprised considering this kind of statement coming from various BJP leaders for last six years.

 

[Redchilly007]

Not a bad suggestion. India and Pakistan should exchange minorities who feel that they are persecuted. This will correct the mistake of not doing a complete exchange of minorities post partition.

I bet anti CAA protesters will go in hiding as soon as this offer opens up.

 

[JaDed]

Not a bad suggestion. India and Pakistan should exchange minorities who feel that they are persecuted. This will correct the mistake of not doing a complete exchange of minorities post partition.

I bet anti CAA protesters will go in hiding as soon as this offer opens up.

Both nations were not formed on that basis, also why would anti- Caa Protesters hide after this?

They are protesting becase they want to be Indian citizen and not be doubted, so try again.

 

[MenInG]

Maybe this is the way to send them to Pakistan?

Shame.

The video below shows a horrific beating being meted out to a Muslim person - Please only click on the spoiler label if you are fine to watch this

Spoiler

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 181.818%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/s/08g06/kmvytw" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

 

[JaDed]

Maybe this is the way to send them to Pakistan?

Shame.

The video below shows a horrific beating being meted out to a Muslim person - Please only click on the spoiler label if you are fine to watch this

Spoiler

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 181.818%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/s/08g06/kmvytw" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

How do you known it has a religious angle , the audio isn't clear.

 

[JaDed]

How do you known it has a religious angle , the audio isn't clear.

Know*

 

[liam26]

Fantastic suggestion. Pakistanis often claim that Muslims in India are second class oppressed citizens. Hopefully Pakistan also passes a bill thereby giving a chance to Indian Muslims to migrate and live as first class citizens in Pakistan.

 

[Redchilly007]

Both nations were not formed on that basis, also why would anti- Caa Protesters hide after this?

They are protesting becase they want to be Indian citizen and not be doubted, so try again.

Partition was done following two nation theory. Muslims wanted a separate nation as they didn't wanted to live alongside hindus. It was a historical blunder done by Congress to not go for complete exchange of minorities.
Anti CAA protesters would go into hiding because they are chanting Azadi from persecution. If there's a law passed in Pakistan for accepting persecuted Muslims, the anti CAA protesters can have real azadi very easily! Or they can stop crying over nothing and stop the traffic curtailing protests.

 

[Darkrai]

How about improving your country instead of repeatedly telling your people to go to Pakistan, you clowns.

 

[JaDed]

Partition was done following two nation theory. Muslims wanted a separate nation as they didn't wanted to live alongside hindus. It was a historical blunder done by Congress to not go for complete exchange of minorities.
Anti CAA protesters would go into hiding because they are chanting Azadi from persecution. If there's a law passed in Pakistan for accepting persecuted Muslims, the anti CAA protesters can have real azadi very easily! Or they can stop crying over nothing and stop the traffic curtailing protests.

India rejected two nation theory, we can’t change now , also in your logic we should give them Kashmir coz its majority Muslim.

Also many anti CAA protesters are Hindus who are not a minority so maybe think of another reason.

 

[Redchilly007]

India rejected two nation theory, we can’t change now , also in your logic we should give them Kashmir coz its majority Muslim.

Also many anti CAA protesters are Hindus who are not a minority so maybe think of another reason.

Rejecting a theory when its practical proof exists was a blunder that only stupid people can do. That's what Congress leaders did at that time and due to that India is facing current situation.

 

[JaDed]

Rejecting a theory when its practical proof exists was a blunder that only stupid people can do. That's what Congress leaders did at that time and due to that India is facing current situation.

What situation are we facing? Are you saying India should be only for Hindus?

 

[Redchilly007]

What situation are we facing? Are you saying India should be only for Hindus?

There wouldn't be any protests if the partition was implemented correctly. There wouldn't be any need to bring CAA. I can write more but it can cause issues.

 

[JaDed]

There wouldn't be any protests if the partition was implemented correctly. There wouldn't be any need to bring CAA. I can write more but it can cause issues.

There would be protests over something else maybe not this, do you think this is the first protest that has happened in India? What kind of reasoning is that?

 

[kaayal]

Not a bad suggestion. India and Pakistan should exchange minorities who feel that they are persecuted. This will correct the mistake of not doing a complete exchange of minorities post partition.

I bet anti CAA protesters will go in hiding as soon as this offer opens up.

Reminding you the the Preamble of Indian Constitution again:

WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;
and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;

It’s not the BJP or their andhbakhts who will decide what INDIA stands for.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Reminding you the the Preamble of Indian Constitution again:

WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;
and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;

It’s not the BJP or their andhbakhts who will decide what INDIA stands for.

You have a lot of faith in the Indian justice system.

I hope you take my advice and move out India. Your future generations will suffer if they remain Muslim.

 

[kaayal]

There would be protests over something else maybe not this, do you think this is the first protest that has happened in India? What kind of reasoning is that?

Casteism is the biggest elephant in the room. Once Muslims are out of the equation, this will be more deadly.

 

[kaayal]

You have a lot of faith in the Indian justice system.

I hope you take my advice and move out India. Your future generations will suffer if they remain Muslim.

I trust in my country and my people like many other Indian Muslims. These BJP goons and their paid IT cells can try their best to instill fear in us but that doesn’t mean we leave it like that. It’s my home and my people.

 

[JaDed]

Casteism is the biggest elephant in the room. Once Muslims are out of the equation, this will be more deadly.

There are many more. Corporate culture is the only way forward.... employment in MNCs is the way fertility rate has reduced and also casteism in work place has reduced.

Pushing forward GDP with growth only way.

 

[Redchilly007]

There would be protests over something else maybe not this, do you think this is the first protest that has happened in India? What kind of reasoning is that?

I was referring to the CAA protests. There would have been protests for sure but not related to the CAA or other things related to the Muslim community. There would have been less riots as well. I am not saying that everything would have been alright, but would have been better for sure.

 

[KingKhanWC]

I trust in my country and my people like many other Indian Muslims. These BJP goons and their paid IT cells can try their best to instill fear in us but that doesn’t mean we leave it like that. It’s my home and my people.

Good for you, hope your family stays well now and in the future.

If I was in your shoes, I'd be long gone. No offence India is a Hindu nation now , no matter what is written on a piece of paper. BJP will only get stronger.

 

[JaDed]

I was referring to the CAA protests. There would have been protests for sure but not related to the CAA or other things related to the Muslim community. There would have been less riots as well. I am not saying that everything would have been alright, but would have been better for sure.

Less riots? Lol Wouldn’t have stopped Hindus from killing Sikhs in 1984.

Wouldn't stop the casteism of upper castes, so dont get ahead of yourself, Law enforcement is the issue. Everything else is jus political nonsense.

 

[Redchilly007]

Reminding you the the Preamble of Indian Constitution again:

WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;
and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;

It’s not the BJP or their andhbakhts who will decide what INDIA stands for.

What's with this obsession with preamble? The laws are passed by representatives elected by indian people. People should respect the laws passed by the parliament. BJP got votes for CAA and NRC. They should wait for next time they manage to get their government elected to change laws as per their preference.

 

[kaayal]

Good for you, hope your family stays well now and in the future.

If I was in your shoes, I'd be long gone. No offence India is a Hindu nation now , no matter what is written on a piece of paper. BJP will only get stronger.

It’s because of that ‘piece of paper’ we stayed together for past 73 years. There is nothing else common between us except this feeling of Indianness. Otherwise each state is so proud of their language and culture that they dislike each other.

 

[JaDed]

What's with this obsession with preamble? The laws are passed by representatives elected by indian people. People should respect the laws passed by the parliament. BJP got votes for CAA and NRC. They should wait for next time they manage to get their government elected to change laws as per their preference.

So you are saying corruption shouldn’t be protested , and people should just caste their vote after 5 years of corruption?

 

[JaDed]

Looks like pro Hindutva posters are saying why Indians are obsessed with a paper that promotes equality, new low.

 

[KingKhanWC]

It’s because of that ‘piece of paper’ we stayed together for past 73 years. There is nothing else common between us except this feeling of Indianness. Otherwise each state is so proud of their language and culture that they dislike each other.

Currently toilet paper is worth more. Unless the law which targets Muslims is repelled. It not more new laws targeting Muslims will come into play, just like the Beef ban which started all this off.

 

[JaDed]

Currently toilet paper is worth more. Unless the law which targets Muslims is repelled. It not more new laws targeting Muslims will come into play, just like the Beef ban which started all this off.

Which law targets Muslims? Do you mean the law that doesn’t include Muslims from Pak, Bd,Afg?

Are you confused between NRC and CAA and just commenting here for the sake of it ?

 

[KingKhanWC]

Which law targets Muslims? Do you mean the law that doesn’t include Muslims from Pak, Bd,Afg?

Are you confused between NRC and CAA and just commenting here for the sake of it ?

new citizenship law is seen as anti-Muslim by Muslim in India and others around the world.

 

[kaayal]

Looks like pro Hindutva posters are saying why Indians are obsessed with a paper that promotes equality, new low.

What's with this obsession with preamble? The laws are passed by representatives elected by indian people. People should respect the laws passed by the parliament. BJP got votes for CAA and NRC. They should wait for next time they manage to get their government elected to change laws as per their preference.

Arundhathi Roy once said in between these 2 parties that what bjp does by day with pride Congress does by shame in night.

Both parties are equally bad but this “shame” is a valuable thing means they are at least giving importance to the values of Constitution. But for BJP, it’s just a book. Now the mass movement to give strength and vigour to the constitutional values are also lacking.

 

[kaayal]

new citizenship law is seen as anti-Muslim by Muslim in India and others around the world.

CAA is a discriminatory law which along with NRC if combined going to be deadly to the Muslims and poor of India.

 

[IMMY69]

Partition was done following two nation theory. Muslims wanted a separate nation as they didn't wanted to live alongside hindus. It was a historical blunder done by Congress to not go for complete exchange of minorities.
Anti CAA protesters would go into hiding because they are chanting Azadi from persecution. If there's a law passed in Pakistan for accepting persecuted Muslims, the anti CAA protesters can have real azadi very easily! Or they can stop crying over nothing and stop the traffic curtailing protests.

Wow another RSS goon.

How many are like these people in India?
Shocking

 

[kaayal]

Currently toilet paper is worth more. Unless the law which targets Muslims is repelled. It not more new laws targeting Muslims will come into play, just like the Beef ban which started all this off.

You stating so doesn’t make it true. We still have faith in our constitution and that says a lot.

And for your information there is no beef ban in my state. Neither any law targeting Muslims as of now.

 

[Thomaskutty]

Arundhathi Roy once said in between these 2 parties that what bjp does by day with pride Congress does by shame in night. .

She is right. Looking at the last 6 yrs, there's not much difference between Congress and BJP, except the latter comes with the baggage of hindutva.

Basically, BJP = UPA + cow

 

[KingKhanWC]

You stating so doesn’t make it true. We still have faith in our constitution and that says a lot.

And for your information there is no beef ban in my state. Neither any law targeting Muslims as of now.

Small steps lead to big stamping. Anyway your choice, I have no love for India or it's citizens, inc Muslims for their silence against Kashmiris but you're a good poster and I respect you. Good luck for the future.

 

[CricketCartoons]

CAA is a discriminatory law which along with NRC if combined going to be deadly to the Muslims and poor of India.

CAA is discriminatory, yes. Many such discriminatory laws exist: Quotas based on caste. 50% reservation for minority religions. Different civil laws based on religion. Do you want all these discriminatory laws to be abolished?

Btw. I support all these discriminatory laws in principle, with a few tweaks.

 

[andy0204]

CAA is discriminatory, yes. Many such discriminatory laws exist: Quotas based on caste. 50% reservation for minority religions. Different civil laws based on religion. Do you want all these discriminatory laws to be abolished?

Btw. I support all these discriminatory laws in principle, with a few tweaks.

You are a BJP supporter obviously you are going to support this.

 

[CricketCartoons]

You are a BJP supporter obviously you are going to support this.

Let us agree I support not only BJP, but RSS and Bajrang Dal too, but can you debate the point here?

Do you agree that the other laws I mentioned are discriminatory too and need to be abolished?

 

[andy0204]

Let us agree I support not only BJP, but RSS and Bajrang Dal too, but can you debate the point here?

Do you agree that the other laws I mentioned are discriminatory too and need to be abolished?

Is this relate to CAA?

 

[CricketCartoons]

Is this relate to CAA?

This is related to so called discriminatory laws in the constitution. Why do you want to discuss only one of these and not the others? You could have just replied yes/no/don't know.

 

[andy0204]

This is related to so called discriminatory laws in the constitution. Why do you want to discuss only one of these and not the others? You could have just replied yes/no/don't know.

Are you blaming Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar?

 

[pillionrider]

CAA is discriminatory, yes. Many such discriminatory laws exist: Quotas based on caste. 50% reservation for minority religions. Different civil laws based on religion. Do you want all these discriminatory laws to be abolished?

Btw. I support all these discriminatory laws in principle, with a few tweaks.

I notice you've already found a way to entertain yourself, but may I up the entertainment quotient of your weekend by requesting an elaboration on what those tweaks might be.

 

[JaDed]

Are you blaming Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar?

Read his questions carefully and then answer them, over the years it has helped me realize my hypocrisy and to know my biases.

It can be done if you are willing to realize we are not perfect, although he will never agree to his biases or when he loses his cool and might use your arguments for his entertainment.

 

[andy0204]

Read his questions carefully and then answer them, over the years it has helped me realize my hypocrisy and to know my biases.

It can be done if you are willing to realize we are not perfect, although he will never agree to his biases or when he loses his cool and might use your arguments for his entertainment.

He already started using my argument by calling me rightist whenever the discussion is about economy, unemployment.

 

[CricketCartoons]

He already started using my argument by calling me rightist whenever the discussion is about economy, unemployment.

I called you a right winger, you called me a BJP supporter. So I guess that evens out opinion shaming each other. Now can you answer the previous questions I asked. Even a don't know has more dignity than evading a question by asking counter questions ( which I am ready to answer, if only you answer the ones before).

 

[andy0204]

I called you a right winger, you called me a BJP supporter. So I guess that evens out opinion shaming each other. Now can you answer the previous questions I asked. Even a don't know has more dignity than evading a question by asking counter questions ( which I am ready to answer, if only you answer the ones before).

So it is criminal to call you a BJP supporter?
I also asked you a question ?
P.S Iam neutral.

 

[CricketCartoons]

So it is criminal to call you a BJP supporter?
I also asked you a question ?
P.S Iam neutral.

Is it criminal to call you a right winger, or me a BJP supporter? Of course not. I asked the question first, and only because you decided to quote me. If you don't have the courage to answer that because you fear an unknown poster on internet will use your argument for his cheap entertainment, or because you lack conviction for your own beliefs, then why bother to quote him and invite him to raise questions. I will try my best not to hurt your delicate sensibilities.

 

[andy0204]

Is it criminal to call you a right winger, or me a BJP supporter? Of course not. I asked the question first, and only because you decided to quote me. If you don't have the courage to answer that because you fear an unknown poster on internet will use your argument for his cheap entertainment, or because you lack conviction for your own beliefs, then why bother to quote him and invite him to raise questions. I will try my best not to hurt your delicate sensibilities.

If I don't have courage I would have left this forum long time ago.
Sometimes I maybe wrong but that makes me more stronger to rectify my mistakes.
Iam just sharing my thoughts whatever I learned from my education, surroundings, experience.
Now coming to your question this is different as compared to reservation.
It's upto you whether you use it as cheap entertainment or show this argument to others or post it on different platforms.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Now coming to your question this is different as compared to reservation.

Is 50% reservation for religious minorities in colleges like Stephens and Jamia discriminatory? yes/no/don't know.

Is separate civil laws based on religions discriminatory? yes/no/don't know

Is caste based reservation discriminatory? yes/no/don't know

 

[kaayal]

CAA is discriminatory, yes. Many such discriminatory laws exist: Quotas based on caste. 50% reservation for minority religions. Different civil laws based on religion. Do you want all these discriminatory laws to be abolished?

Btw. I support all these discriminatory laws in principle, with a few tweaks.

Positive discrimination is a good thing. Ensures minimum level of inclusiveness for all the disadvantaged group. Can you actually show me the draft of this Citizenship Amentment Act where this “persecuted” word is mentioned? If i am not wrong they just mention these 6-7 religions except Muslims worthy of getting Citizenship without any mention of persecution.

Citizenship should be given on the basis of people’s sufferings and considering other aspects of their life on a case to case basis. It should be independent of religion. Everyone requires a sympathy but disadvantage community more. But that doesn’t mean we make some people stateless. Come on, our country is much better than these nonsense.

 

[Minnowbasher]

-economical problem in India-
BJP: go to Pakistan
-unemployment problem-
BJP: go to Pakistan
-minorities targetted-
BJP: go to Pakistan
-other problems-
BJP: go to Pakistan




Then they say we are obsessed with india lol.

 

[gazza619]

This is a shocking statement coming from a BJP leader. Very surprised.

I am just surprised that you are surprised.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Positive discrimination is a good thing. Ensures minimum level of inclusiveness for all the disadvantaged group. Can you actually show me the draft of this Citizenship Amentment Act where this “persecuted” word is mentioned? If i am not wrong they just mention these 6-7 religions except Muslims worthy of getting Citizenship without any mention of persecution.

Citizenship should be given on the basis of people’s sufferings and considering other aspects of their life on a case to case basis. It should be independent of religion. Everyone requires a sympathy but disadvantage community more. But that doesn’t mean we make some people stateless. Come on, our country is much better than these nonsense.

Agree with you overall. Constitution has the concept of positive discrimination, where the socially weak are given extra benefits so that they can be uplifted. ( I would like some tweaks but that is a minor point).

So you must be agreeing in principle to give fast track citizenship to refugees from minority religions. And your opposition is technical? Am I right or wrong?

If your technical disagreement is because the persecuted word is missing in the act, then even the secular word was missing in the COI till late 1970s, and persecuted word is still missing for minority religions in india. That doesn't negate the fact they are at a disadvantage and need protection from majoritarianism.

If citizenship should be given based on other aspects of life on case to case basis, then it should be true for the other laws which have positive discrimination. 50% reservation in stephens should be done away with and every indian, who is disadvantaged should get that. Why should a rich christian get reservation when it could go to a poor and backward indian from bihar?

So you agree that religion based laws should be amended so that no indian is made to feel unequal based on religion? Am I right or wrong?

 

[andy0204]

Agree with you overall. Constitution has the concept of positive discrimination, where the socially weak are given extra benefits so that they can be uplifted. ( I would like some tweaks but that is a minor point).

So you must be agreeing in principle to give fast track citizenship to refugees from minority religions. And your opposition is technical? Am I right or wrong?

If your technical disagreement is because the persecuted word is missing in the act, then even the secular word was missing in the COI till late 1970s, and persecuted word is still missing for minority religions in india. That doesn't negate the fact they are at a disadvantage and need protection from majoritarianism.

If citizenship should be given based on other aspects of life on case to case basis, then it should be true for the other laws which have positive discrimination. 50% reservation in stephens should be done away with and every indian, who is disadvantaged should get that. Why should a rich christian get reservation when it could go to a poor and backward indian from bihar?

So you agree that religion based laws should be amended so that no indian is made to feel unequal based on religion? Am I right or wrong?

So basically you are saying Hindu Raj.

 

[Abdullah719]

Let Pakistan pass a CAA, Muslims can go there then: BJP MLA

ABJP lawmaker has suggested that Pakistan enact a Citizenship (Amendment) Act clone to allow an exchange of minorities with India, appearing to belie government leaders’ claim that the new citizenship regime is not aimed at driving out Muslims.

Vikram Singh Saini, MLA from Khatauli in Muzaffarnagar and a riot accused, has proposed the exchange as a “solution” to the controversy over the new citizenship regime that has gripped the country.

“The CAA is a necessary law for Hindus. I think Pakistan should pass a similar law in favour of Muslims. While India will accept all the Hindus who arrive from there, a (Pakistani) law on a par with India’s (citizenship law) will encourage the Muslims of India to go there,” Saini told local reporters on Friday.

“The two countries should exchange the victimised Hindus and Muslims from each other’s territory. Those opposing the CAA should be asked who is stopping Pakistan from enacting a similar law and exchanging the Hindus of Pakistan with the Muslims of India. It should happen, 100 per cent.”

On Saturday, when reporters asked him about his statement, he said: “I have provided a solution to the problem.”

Saini had made his original comment after stepping out of the additional district and sessions court, Muzaffarnagar, where he had been summoned as an accused in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots that killed 50-odd people and left tens of thousands homeless.

Sanjeev Balyan, the local BJP parliamentarian and Union minister of state for animal husbandry, is a fellow accused.

Saini claims he was framed by the then Samajwadi Party government. Many local people have told journalists that during the riots, Saini had been seen travelling across the district with his supporters and inciting violence against Muslims.

Saini, 50, is known for controversial remarks. He had last August urged young men from Uttar Pradesh to marry “the fair girls of Kashmir” since the Centre had scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.

Apart from rioting charges, the MLA, who had dropped out of school after Class VIII, faces cases of criminal intimidation, outraging religious feelings, attempt to murder and promoting enmity on the ground of religion.

On Sunday, the state BJP will hold a rally at the Government Inter College in Muzaffarnagar “to make people aware of the truth about the CAA and the negative campaign by the Opposition parties”.

Balyan, assigned to make the rally a success, on Saturday insisted that the new citizenship act was “not against the Muslims of India”.

“They (Muslims) will remain citizens of India. But those Muslims who enter India from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan to create terror in our country will be prevented (from gaining citizenship) under this law,” he said.

Asked why Muslim refugees fleeing persecution had been excluded from the ambit of the amended law, Balyan said: “This is an unnecessary question.”

https://www.telegraphindia.com/indi...muslims-can-go-there-then-bjp-mla/cid/1734994

 

[CricketCartoons]

So basically you are saying Hindu Raj.

Yes, basically.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I have said a few times now, if Hindus and their offshoots want to send their Muslims to Pakistan, they should show some serious intent by vacating Kashmir to allow Pakistan the space to settle them. This would also have the added benefit of freeing up the cost of deploying 700k troops in an effort to quell the unrest in the Muslim state.

 

[IAJ]

Why are they involving Pakistan in everything?

 

[Abdullah719]

Why are they involving Pakistan in everything?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">'Why do you want to give clean chit to Pakistan?' Sambit Patra questions Congress during BJP press conference.<br><br> Watch LIVE: <a href="https://t.co/PQbT45sMtv">https://t.co/PQbT45sMtv</a> <a href="https://t.co/GZETxZPFJR">pic.twitter.com/GZETxZPFJR</a></p>— ABP News (@ABPNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABPNews/status/1216990372229836801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Pakistan, Pakistan, Pakistan....

 

[MenInG]

Protesters at the Mumbai ODI today - should they be sent to Pakistan too?

 

[kk1992]

Why are they involving Pakistan in everything?

Every extremist ideology need a boogeyman to continue to rule over the gullible, for India's RSS/BJP/Hintuva, Muslims and Pakistan are boogeyman.

 

[cric_man]

Every extremist ideology need a boogeyman to continue to rule over the gullible, for India's RSS/BJP/Hintuva, Muslims and Pakistan are boogeyman.

 

[m.shah]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"Remember Gujarat? Remember it before you take us on" - menacing slogans at the pro-CAA/NRC march by the BJP on Monday at Kuttiady, Kozhikode (Kerala) according to reports. This is the real face of the RSS-BJP, no matter how much they try to whitewash it. <a href="https://t.co/dMYUA7h2qg">pic.twitter.com/dMYUA7h2qg</a></p>— Subin Dennis (@subindennis) <a href="https://twitter.com/subindennis/status/1217068682481782785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
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[kaayal]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"Remember Gujarat? Remember it before you take us on" - menacing slogans at the pro-CAA/NRC march by the BJP on Monday at Kuttiady, Kozhikode (Kerala) according to reports. This is the real face of the RSS-BJP, no matter how much they try to whitewash it. <a href="https://t.co/dMYUA7h2qg">pic.twitter.com/dMYUA7h2qg</a></p>— Subin Dennis (@subindennis) <a href="https://twitter.com/subindennis/status/1217068682481782785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Lol it’s their frustration. The communal slogans were raised by the BJP protesters after several shops keepers in the neighbourhood shut down their businesses to boycott the meet organised by BJP to rally support for the CAA.

 

[kaayal]

This is the truth of the Pro CAA meet here.

 

[andy0204]

This is the truth of the Pro CAA meet here.

View attachment 98346

Is it verified?

 

[kaayal]

Is it verified?

Yes. After this was viral they did that above protest by bringing people from all over kerala to show their strength lol.

 

[MenInG]

Bengaluru, Feb 20: The anti-CAA and NRC rally at Freedom Park took a controversial turn when student activist identified as Amulya Leona Noronha hailed Pakistan with slogan ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ thrice in her inaugural speech.

The event was organised by Hindu Muslim Sikh and Isaai Federation in Bengaluru on Thursday, February 20.

Soon after Noronha praised Pakistan, the mike was snatched from her hand and she was dragged from the stage by lady police.

Noronha tried justifying, asking organisers to give her a chance to finish. “There is a difference when I say Pakistan Zindabad and Hindustan Zindabad,” she tried to say but was dragged off the stage.

MP Asaduddin Owaisi and other organisers seemed to be caught in an awkward position. Owaisi quickly clarified, “We do not agree with the sentiments shared by this student. We neither stand by her or what she said. I do not know why the organisers entertained someone like her. Our fight is directed to save the country. I would not participate in a protest where such sentiments are voiced,” he said.

BBMP corporator Imran Pasha said that he does not stand by Amulya’s views. He claimed she came uninvited and was planted deliberately by someone who had an agenda of ruining the event. “We will ask the police to take action against her,” he said.

Amulya, who hails from Koppa and studied in Manipal and Bengaluru, has addressed several anti-CAA rallies in Bengaluru earlier.

https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay.aspx?newsID=676545

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[Cpt. Rishwat]

What a disgrace. Manhandling a woman for speaking positively about a neighbouring country. Imagine the uproar if an English woman got dragged off the stage for saying Long live Scotland!

 

[FreakCricket]

Fantastic suggestion. Pakistanis often claim that Muslims in India are second class oppressed citizens. Hopefully Pakistan also passes a bill thereby giving a chance to Indian Muslims to migrate and live as first class citizens in Pakistan.

Lmaooo, YES, you know better what Pakistanis want?

 

[chacha kashmiri]

It's like 1947 again

We have 1857 protests on India
All that's missing is 1806 and 1906 protests in kolkotta and simla simultaneously

If India exit from Kashmir gracefully after a referendum where everybody can say yes or no everyone can live in peace

 

[MenInG]

An Indian doctor who was jailed for more than seven months for criticising a controversial citizenship law was released on Tuesday night after a court in northern Uttar Pradesh state called his incarceration "illegal".

Dr Kafeel Khan told Al Jazeera he was physically tortured while in captivity, which included him being stripped of his clothes and beaten and deprived of food for days.

"It was very hard for the whole family. My 65-year-old mother was forced to visit the courts during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic," he said.

Dr Khan was arrested in January for a speech made a month earlier that authorities in Uttar Pradesh (UP), governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), deemed incendiary. He was later charged under the National Security Act (NSA), which stipulates that a person can be held without charge for a year.

His speech focused on major issues facing the country of 1.4 billion people such as malnutrition, lack of health facilities and unemployment crisis.

But Khan's criticism of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which bans Muslims from neighbouring South Asian countries from gaining Indian nationality, seemed to have earned him the government's ire.

The passing of the law in December sparked nationwide protests led mostly by Muslims - India’s largest minority, numbering nearly 200 million.

'Targeted because of his religion'

Yogi Adityanath, who is UP's chief minister and known for his anti-Muslim statements, ordered a crackdown against anti-CAA protests in the northern state. More than two dozens Muslims were killed in police action that was condemned by Amnesty International India.

"Who will speak up in this time of atrocities, if we are also quiet, who will raise their voice?" Khan had said during the speech in front of students of Aligarh Muslim University, located around 125km from the capital, New Delhi.

Critics and family members say the 38-year-old paediatrician was targeted because he chose to speak up against the law, which the United Nations dubbed "fundamentally discriminatory".

The UP police department in its complaint accused Dr Khan of "sowing seeds of discord towards other religious communities".

But the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday disagreed with the police, saying "a complete reading of the speech also nowhere threatens peace and tranquility of the city of Aligarh [located in UP]".

"The address gives a call for national integrity and unity among the citizens. The speech also deprecates any kind of violence," the 42-page judgement read as it ordered the immediate release of Khan.

Dr Khan said that after he was slapped with the NSA, his family became "untouchable" as people avoided contact with them in their home city of Gorakhpur in UP. "Lawyers would not take my case," he said.

His activism has also brought troubles to his family. His brother Adeel Khan said his business has been targeted since Kafeel Khan was arrested in 2017. Another brother survived a gun attack.

Harjit Singh Bhatti, a doctor based in New Delhi, has been one of Khan's most vocal supporters. He said that Khan has been presumably targeted because of his religion.

"Dr Khan is rising as a prominent Muslim face in India, which the government doesn't want ... they don't want an educated Muslim person raising his voice, about their rights or equality," Bhatti told Al Jazeera.

A history of persecution

Dr Khan has spent nearly 500 days in prison in the last three years, as his case has become a symbol of state repression on dissent.

And he is not the only one. Several activists behind the peaceful anti-CAA protests are still behind bars for opposing the government's alleged anti-minority policies.

Rights groups have condemned their continued incarceration as the coronavirus virus pandemic poses a threat to their life in India's crowded prisons. On Monday, India overtook Brazil to become the second-worst country hit by COVID-19 with over 4.2 million cases.

The 38-year-old doctor's release on Tuesday ends his third stint in prison.

His ordeal with the BJP-led UP government began in September 2017, when he was arrested in the wake of the deaths of 70 children due to lack of oxygen supply at Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College hospital in Gorakhpur, Khan's hometown.

Then a junior doctor in the paediatrics department, Dr Khan was hailed as a hero for securing a supply of oxygen tanks for the hospital ward from his personal money.

However, according to Dr Khan, the incident did not go down well, with Adityanath chastising Khan for his efforts upon meeting him days after the incident.

Khan was arrested with eight others for the deaths of the minors, and jailed for seven months.

He was arrested again a year later for 45 days, after authorities claimed he had barged into a hospital in the Bahraich district in UP, leading to an alleged ruckus.

The doctor claims he went to the hospital to enquire about the deaths of children at the hospital from encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain. Thousands of children have died in Uttar Pradesh and in neighbouring Bihar state due to episodic outbreaks of encephalitis since the 1970s.

In 2018, an investigating team looking into the BRD hospital tragedy exonerated the paediatrician of any criminal wrongdoing. Khan has sought an apology from the Adityanath-led government and the reinstatement of his job.

But instead, the government ordered another inquiry into the children's death case.

Dr Bhatti, who is also the President of Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum, said Khan has been made a "scapegoat".

"Khan has been continuously made a scapegoat for the BRD tragedy, despite being a junior doctor at the hospital," Bhatti told Al Jazeera.

Bhatti has been an outspoken critic of the Modi government's coronavirus pandemic policy, as the country has emerged as the epicentre of the virus in Asia.

'They wanted to break me'

Khan, who has moved to western Rajasthan state since his release, says he feared for his life inside the jail. "For the first four to five days of my incarceration, I did not receive any food. I wore the same clothes ... I was not able to take a bath or brush my teeth."

"To go to the toilet there was a queue of 30 minutes," he said, adding that he had to share the barrack with some 150 people while it actually had the capacity to hold 40.

"They really wanted to break me this time," he told Al Jazeera.

The paediatrician said at times he would bite on his sleeves to distract himself from the excruciating hunger he experienced. "I was in so much pain I could have eaten grass," he said.

He said that jail authorities asked him to stop talking about the BRD hospital tragedy, and also demanded that he stop criticising CAA and a proposed citizenship register, which critics fear will likely be used to disenfranchise Muslims.

Despite the immense hardships, Khan revealed that his fellow prisoners, who were aware of his heroics during the BRD episode, would help him with food and other requests during his incarceration.

Khan has temporarily moved to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan state, where he has been reunited with his family, including his two children, wife and brother.

He said his most pressing concern is to demand the UP government revoke his suspension from his previous post at the BRD hospital so that he could resume his work.

"For the past three years," he said, "I have written 25 letters to the UP government to either revoke my suspension or terminate me, so that I can go work somewhere else."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...carcerated-raising-voice-200829163202878.html

 

[MenInG]

Amritsar, India – Surbeer Singh was just three years old when his family fled Nangarhar province in Afghanistan to escape religious persecution and war in the 1980s. They have since lived in the northern city of Amritsar, waiting to be granted Indian citizenship.

Last December, India’s Hindu nationalist government amended the country’s citizenship law to expedite nationality for persecuted immigrants – except Muslims – from three neighbouring countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

But exactly a year since the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was passed by the country’s parliament, no immigrant has been granted citizenship under the CAA.

A Sikh refugee, Surbeer, 33, is among some 31,313 eligible refugees in India, most of them from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who have been waiting for years to get Indian citizenship.

He is worried about his status as his visa expired in July. “I am living on borrowed time on a borrowed land,” Surbeer said.

“They ask me to return to the place I fled [from]. How can I go back now? For me, India is my home,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that the Afghan embassy asked him to return to Kabul to obtain his visa.

“We faced religious persecution in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We face identity discrimination in India,” said Surbeer.

In Amritsar, a community of refugee families lives together in an area just five kilometres from the Golden Temple, one of the holiest shrines in the Sikh religion.

Face discrimination
Surbeer, who works as a spare parts dealer, is one of the lucky few refugees to now own a house. “When we came to India, we struggled in a small rented room in Krishna Nagar of Amritsar. Over the years, I worked hard and eventually I bought a flat in Golden Avenue of Amritsar with help of my relatives. It is registered on my wife’s name as she is an Indian citizen.

“We are doing fine with God’s grace. We eat well, sleep well and work well. The only issue is of visa and identity,” said Surbeer, who lives with his family of five.

“In Amritsar, people at times call us Afghani and Pakistani. At times, the schools ask for legal documents, our kids are afraid of showing their Afghani and Pakistani passports. People don’t prefer marrying our sons. They don’t do business with us,” he said.

Hundreds of such families have settled in the border districts of the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan as well as the capital, New Delhi.

The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the CAA aimed to help such refugees who have lived in India for years without any legal status.

But the controversial law, which sparked anti-Muslim riots in New Delhi, could not be availed by refugees as the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) failed to draft guidelines to operationalise it.

Al Jazeera mailed a detailed questionnaire to a MHA spokesperson but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Hindu refugees return to Pakistan
Last month, more than 200 Hindu and Sikh refugees returned to Pakistan in financial hardship as the law was not in operation, drawing critics to question the government’s sincerity towards refugees.

India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, and it does not have a national policy on refugees, even though it is home to more than 200,000 refugees from Tibet, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

The refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are granted long-term visas (LTV) initially for five years and then renewed every two years.

“LTV is no less than a house arrest. We are not allowed to leave the station without permission,” said Saran Singh.

As per their current visa norms, such migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan are allowed to engage only in private employment. Children of such visa holders mostly drop out after schools as they are not allowed to move out of the city to pursue higher education.

“However the problem arises when our kids have to pursue higher education. At times technical education is not available in Amritsar and our kids are not allowed to leave the station without permission under the LTT visa norms,” said Saran Singh.

“Even if I have to go beyond the Golden Gate of Amritsar (borders of Amritsar city) for a check-up in hospital, I have to seek prior permission which may take days,” the 53-year-old said, referring to the curbs on his movement. Saran Singh arrived from Peshawar in Pakistan in 1999 along with his family of seven.

Harbhajan Singh, 42, who lives in Amritsar, says that he was held by the police for questioning as his brother visited the Golden Temple from Delhi without prior permission from police. Harbhajan and his brother, Harbans Singh, both fled Peshawar in 2012 but eventually were granted visas for Amritsar and Delhi respectively.

Shiv Kumar, a Hindu, left Pakistan’s Peshawar in 2005 along with his family seeking refuge in India.

“For different family members, the visa renewal date is different. It is such a complicated process that it takes the complete engagement of at least one family member who is given the responsibility of paperwork for all of us,” the 29-year-old told Al Jazeera. He is the sole earner in his family of six, including his elderly parents.

Protests against CAA
Many refugees have lived in India all of their lives but still have not been granted citizenship.

Surbeer from Afghanistan says his brother Arwinder Singh, who was born in India in 1994, is still not an Indian citizen.

“He wanted to study further, but the visa restricts him from leaving Amritsar. He dropped out of his education after class 12.”

But for many Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, getting Indian citizenship is impossible, as the new law bars Muslims from seeking citizenship.

Shabnam Khan (name changed) was married in 1996 to an Indian Muslim man in Fazilka village of the border state of Punjab.

“I am now a mother of two sons. I was hopeful that I will be accepted as an Indian, but 24 years have passed, I am still a Pakistani.” Khan is still living in India on a LTV. Now 40, she still faces the same issues as others while renewing her visa. “The COVID-19 lockdown made it even more difficult. In a year we have to visit Delhi at least twice or thrice for documentation. Every time they raise some objections which are only cleared if we agree to pay a bribe.”

The CAA was opposed by Muslims and liberal Indians, who said that by making faith a basis for citizenship, the law ran against the spirit of India’s secular constitution.

Surbeer Singh showing a refugee card issued to him by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (L) and a photograph of his children who are Indian Citizens (R) [Srishti Jaswal/Al Jazeera]
Many Muslims feared that the CAA, coupled with the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which aims to identify undocumented immigrants, could be used to disenfranchise them.

Xenophobic and anti-Muslim rhetoric pushed by leaders of the governing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has not eased their fears. Home Minister Amit Shah, considered Modi’s right-hand man, described Bangladeshi immigrants as “termites” and “infiltrators” and a threat to national security.

The BJP has also threatened to throw out Rohingya refugees seeking shelter in India.

Two BJP spokesmen Al Jazeera spoke to declined to comment on why the CAA has not been implemented so far, but Shaheen Kausar, a social activist closely associated with anti-CAA protests said the intention of the government was dishonest from the beginning.

“All these are tactics to divert the attention from the issues which might harm their interests. Such laws are brought so that they can take away voices of resistance and dissent. If the government cared so much for the refugees why isn’t the law implemented so far?” Kausar asked.

Manjinder Singh Sirsa, a politician with the Shiromani Akali Dal party in Punjab, said he supported the government when it brought in the new citizenship law. “It was supposed to provide relief to those who were waiting for years.

“I fail to understand what was the government’s purpose when they brought this law? Only the community can judge if the law was communal or a political stunt but those who were hopeful of help, they have been let down.”

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...fugees-in-india-still-waiting-for-citizenship