‘Misplaced and unwarranted concerns’: India rejects US’ criticism of CAA

New Delhi: India on Friday rejected criticism of the Citizenship Act from the US and other quarters, saying concerns expressed about the law are misplaced and unwarranted as it is “not about taking away citizenship”. External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal India’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion to all citizens and there are no grounds for concern about the treatment of the country’s minority communities, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said a day after the US state department expressed concern about the Indian government’s move to implement the legislation enacted by Parliament in 2019. Describing the CAA as an “internal matter” that is in keeping with India’s inclusive traditions and long-standing commitment to human rights, Jaiswal said the law grants safe haven to persecuted members of the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian minorities from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who entered India before December 31, 2014. Brushing aside the US state department’s statement on the implementation of the CAA, Jaiswal said the Indian side perceives the American position as “misplaced, misinformed, and unwarranted”. The spokesperson told Reuters, “As we said in 2019, we are concerned that CAA is fundamentally discriminatory in nature and breach of India’s international human rights obligations.” The office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is studying whether the implementation of the CAA complies with international human rights law, the spokesperson said.