The Delhi Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders organised a Holi event for the beneficiaries of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, including Hindu refugees from Pakistan as well as Sikh and Hindu refugees from Afghanistan, at its party office in Pant Marg, even as the Act evoked mixed reactions from several groups across the national capital.
Many groups have been protesting against the Centre’s notification on the implementation of CAA on Monday, calling it discriminatory based on religious grounds. However, BJP along with other right-wing groups have been organising meetings to justify the implementation of CAA and explain its processes.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva honoured the refugees and celebrated the day by smearing gulal (coloured powder) on each other. The refugees handed over a letter to Sachdeva expressing their gratitude to the Prime Minister, party functionaries said.
“When I first met these people, we hoped that one day Prime Minister Narendra Modi would fulfil all their demands. We had faith in our leadership, and today we see the result of that faith. Those who came from Pakistan had made just one mistake — they chose Pakistan during the partition. I understand this pain because my parents had witnessed the partition of 1947,” said Sachdeva.
He added that now people coming from Pakistan and Afghanistan can also legally contribute to India’s development.
Govind Ram, who has been living near Majnu Ka Tila for years after coming from Pakistan, said, “We have been Indian at heart for the past four decades. Now, we are legally Indian, and our children will contribute to India’s development.”
Sardar Pyara Singh, who lives in Tilak Nagar after arriving from Afghanistan, said that a large section of refugees has been given the opportunity to contribute legally to India’s economy now.
Delhi BJP media head Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that the Indian government has now granted citizenship to refugees who are now in their own home. He explained that CAA does not discriminate based on religion, but only expedites the legal processes to grant citizenship to religious minorities from other neighbouring countries.
HT reached out to the Delhi government, but did not get any response on request for comments.
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