Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that through the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Modi government opened the way to give citizenship to Sikh sisters and brothers who were tortured in neighbouring countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan.
It must be noted that the CAA, which was passed in 2019, is yet to be implemented as the rules that govern the law have not been notified by the Union Home Ministry. As such, the legislation that fast tracks citizenship to six non-Muslim undocumented communities from Pakistan, Aghanistan and Bangladesh has been ineffective since its passage in the Parliament four years ago.
Also read: Understanding the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019
The Minister addressed the felicitation program organised by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee for the unprecedented work done by the government for the Sikh community.
Mr. Shah said that in the last nine years, several significant initiatives have been taken for the welfare of the Sikh community. He listed GST exemption on langar (community kitchen), constructing the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, making Sultanpur Lodhi a heritage city, establishing a chair in the name of Guru Nanak Dev Ji at a British university, and providing facilities for Sikh pilgrims to travel to Pakistan.
“No civilised person can forget the 1984 riots, and such heinous killings were politically motivated. Till the formation of the Modi Government in 2014, no one was arrested, and no one spent a single day in jail. Probe commissions were set up, but no concrete results ever came from them. A Special Investigation Team was established and 300 cases were re-opened, leading to the imprisonment of the guilty. The cases are still ongoing and the Modi government will ensure justice for the victims,” Mr. Shah said.
The Home Minister added that it was Mr. Modi who has provided financial assistance of ₹5 Lakh each to 3,328 families of victims and restored the Jallianwala Bagh memorial to its former glory.
