MARGAO: Alleging that Central government is fostering lies with regard to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), human rights activist from Gujarat Rev Fr Cedric Prakash questioned why not citizenship to the minority Hindus and others prosecuted in Tibet, China, Miami, and Sri Lanka? He was speaking at a function organised by Council for Social Justice and Peace with National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations (Goa Unit) and Concerned Citizens of Goa at Margao. The programme focussed on talk and discussion on CAA/NRC/NPR.
He further said, "No one and especially the Central government has no right to tamper with the Constitution of India. And religion can’t be criteria to discriminate against the people and citizenship. We Indians are peace-loving people, but if anything goes against the democracy and Constitution, the people have a right to agitated and express their disagreement,” he added. Fr Cedric also claimed that to date the government has not clarified anything about the Citizenship Amendment Act officially. Presently whatever is being heard is all unofficial, there lots of lies being fostered, he added.
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"Freedom fighters have given us the freedom and it is already clarified that India is a secular country. And hence, nobody can give citizenship on the basis of religion. If so it is totally unconstitutional. You cannot use religion to give citizenship just because the person is prosecuted,” he further added. According to him, nobody knows how many people from Pakistan, Afghanistan or Bangladesh are from minorities and who are prosecuted over there want to take the citizenship of India. "India has other neighboring countries such as Tibet, China, Sri Lanka, wherein their numbers of minorities and especially Hindus are being prosecuted. So, why not they are given citizenship of India,” Fr Cedric stated.
He said that for the first time since the independence people of India have come out on the streets for the sake of the Citizenship Amendment Act. "This movement has nothing to do with political parties. It has been told that recently conducted NRC process in Assam shows that those who have migrated from Bangladesh in India are 60 percent Hindus,” said Fr Cedric. He also questioned and stated that the CAA is anti-constitutional. “Why the government is sidelined one segment and that is the Muslim community?” he asked.
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