Post CAB nod, BJP to reach out to refugees, explain benefits

By Pragya Kaushika
New Delhi (India), Dec 12 (ANI): After its big push to the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) that helped it sailed through Parliament, making way for the grant of Indian citizenship to the persecuted non-Muslim minority refugees from the three neighbouring countries, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to kick-start a massive outreach programme to reach out to these communities so as make them aware about their rights and privileges.
The Bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Zoroastrian communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.
BJP sources informed that as a part of this outreach programme contact programs, meetings, felicitation ceremonies and public awareness campaigns would be launched in various parts of the country where the refugee communities are settled.
It is reliably learnt that all elected representatives of the areas wherever the camps and population of such minorities are settled have been asked to submit a detailed plan on this outreach program at the earliest.
Sources also stated that the BJP would reach out to these communities so as to make them aware of the welfare measure that has been initiated for them by the Narendra Modi led government.
"They would be told that this law would now enable them to live with dignity in their ancestral country. They would be made aware of the simplified process of getting citizenship and also regarding their rights in the country which has provided them relief and shelter," said a source.
It is learnt that these programmes would be unveiled like a celebration that aims to bring these marginalised communities at ease in the country of their choice.
As per government estimates, there are lakhs of people that are getting directly affected by the implementation of CAB in the country.
The BJP hopes that by its implementation the party has fulfilled one of the most important promises made to its voters and these refugee communities in its election manifesto.
CAB was approved by the Parliament after Rajya Sabha passed it on Wednesday. As many as 125 members of the Upper House voted in favour of the Bill while 105 MPs voted against the Bill. The Shiv Sena did not participate in the voting.
Sources stated that the prompt implementation of this move is likely to generate further goodwill for the party and cement its relationship with the marginalised communities, awaiting citizenship rights, forever. (ANI)