From Nehru-Liaquat Pact to Rohingyas: Here are the most important takeaways from Amit Shah’s reply on CAB

On Monday night, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke on the floor of the Parliament again in favour of the Citizenship Amendment Bill before the Parliament voted on the Bill. It was ultimately passed by the Lower House of the Parliament with 311 votes in favour and 80 against. During his speech, he again reiterated that the Bill by no means violates Article 14 of the Indian Constitution. Here are the most important takeaways from Amit Shah’s reply on the floor of the House.

The Nehru-Liaquat Pact

Home Minister again reiterated that India was partitioned on the basis of religion. Most significantly, Amit Shah brought up the Nehru-Liaquat Pact and said that only India had adhered to the resolutions adopted in the said pact. Through the pact, India and Pakistan had promised to take care of its respective religious minorities. He asserted that non-Muslims in the Islamic States of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have to suffer immense persecution for their faith. He also said that the percentage of Hindus living in Pakistan has fallen significantly since 1947.

Home Minister Amit Shah also pointed out that India had not ratified any international convention on refugees and as such, international laws on refugees were not binding upon India as a sovereign country. He also said that India had never accepted any refugee policy.

Home Minister Amit Shah stated clearly that India will never ever accept Rohingyas as citizens in the country.

Home Minister Amit Shah also called out Abhishek Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress. He said, “Abhishek Banerjee today mentioned Tagore, Vivekananda and Bankim Babu in his statement. But could anyone at the time of Bankim Babu that in Bengal today one would have to go to court for Durga Visarjan?” Amit Shah also said that contrary to what Abhishek Banerjee claims, the CAB and the NRC are not ‘traps’. It’s a ‘trap’ only for those who wish to pursue a policy of vote-bank politics.

On the Congress Party

Amit Shah also taunted the Congress party by saying that in Kerala, it’s in an alliance with the Indian Union Muslim League and in Maharashtra, it’s allying with Shiv Sena. He had earlier reiterated the fact that the Congress party had accepted the partition of the country on a religious basis.

Amit Shah also told Shashi Tharoor that during the Congress regime, on numerous occasions, citizenship was awarded to people on the basis of religion and that was because the country itself was partitioned on the basis of religion.

Not a single illegal immigrant will remain in India

The Union Home Minister also asserted that the Modi 2.0 government will bring the Nationwide NRC and not a single illegal immigrant will be allowed to live in India.

Amit Shah also asserted multiple times during his speech that PoK belongs to India and India considers it as its own territory that has been illegally occupied by Pakistan. Initially, he mentioned that India shares a 106 km long border with Afghanistan. When opposition leaders objected saying the border is in PoK and not in India, he asserted that if they do not consider PoK as a part of India, it is their problem.

Later, responding to Dyanidhi Maran’s allegation that the Indian government is concerned only about the land of PoK and not its people, Amit Shah stated that he does not know the reality. The Home Minister reminded him that to this day, 24 seats in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly are reserved for the representation of the people in PoK.