The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has reacted strongly to the statements issued by the US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and said that the statements are neither accurate nor warranted. This statement was issued on Tuesday.
Condemning the decision to keep the Muslims outside the ambit of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, the USCIRF said that the citizenship law is a dangerous turn in the wrong directions. It additionally called on the US government to impose sanctions against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
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The statement issued by the Ministry also sought to explain the nature of the proposed amendments and pointed that just like the US is entitled to have its own citizenship laws, India as a sovereign nation is well within to decide its citizenship laws. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had stated on the floor of the Lok Sabha that the Citizenship law is non-exclusionary and based on the spirit of tolerance and humanity.
The USCIRF has in the past regularly attempted to interfere in the sovereign affairs of India and it is for this reason that the government has denied issuance of visas to the members of this organization.
MEA further added that: “The position articulated by USCIRF is not surprising given its past record. It is, however, regrettable that the body has chosen to be guided by only its prejudices and biases on a matter on which it clearly has little knowledge and no locus standi”.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act was passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday and it is currently expected to be introduced in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.