If Not India, Where Else Will Persecuted Hindus Go, Italy?: Union Minister G Kishan Reddy

The minister also claimed that former Congress president Rahul Gandhi knows no difference between the CAA and GST and that is why he says the recent changes in the citizenship law would lead to an increase in the tax.

Union Minister of State for Home, G Kishan Reddy / Courtesy: ANI

New Delhi: Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy on Wednesday said that the Hindus facing persecution in Pakistan and Bangladesh will naturally come to India and not go to "Italy". He also asserted that it is the "moral responsibility" of India to give shelter and citizenship to them. "Why are you protesting? Against whom you are protesting? If Hindus from Pakistan and Bangladesh will not come to India then where else they will go, Italy?" said Reddy. "Sikhs will not go to Italy," he said. "It's our responsibility to give shelter to them and to give them citizenship," he added. Stating that owing to persistent persecution of Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Jains in Pakistan, the population of the minorities there has come down drastically from its earlier 30 percent-level, the minister said it's the moral responsibility of India to give shelter and citizenship to non-Muslims from the three neighbouring country. The minister also claimed that former Congress president Rahul Gandhi knows no difference between the CAA and GST and that is why he says the recent changes in the citizenship law would lead to an increase in the tax. The "immature statement" of Rahul Gandhi shows he "cannot distinguish between CAA and GST" as he says the GST will further increase due to CAA. "I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that if he does not know the difference (between CAA and GST), he should take tuition from a better tutor in the matter," said teh minister. "It seems he doesn’t have any idea about NPR and NRC either," he said. The minister also accused the opposition of playing "cheap politics", saying that it is instigating people to protest against the recent changes in the citizenship law by misleading them. He rued that the opposition was instigating violence instead of appealing them to resort to peaceful protests. Since the enactment of CAA on December 12 last year, protests have erupted in various parts of the country including the national capital. The CAA grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and came to India on or before December 31, 2014.