The Citizenship (Amendment) Act is not against the Indian Muslims and they need not fear as it (the Act) does not pose any threat to their citizenship, said Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi.
Speaking to reporters after inaugurating pro-CAA rally in the town on Sunday, the deputy chief minister said, “In 2003, Manmohan Singh (the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha), during a discussion on Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, favoured giving citizenship to the minorities, who are facing persecution in the neighbouring countries. But, now the Congress is creating unrest in the country over the CAA and the National Register of Citizens,” he alleged.
In a bid to stay relevant, the Congress is misleading and provoking a particular community, he said.
Replying to a query on the provocative speech by Bellary BJP MLA G Somashekar Reddy, Savadi said, “Somashekar Reddy got carried away while criticising the Congress for inciting the members of a particular community against the CAA. There was no mala fide intention behind the remarks he made during the pro-CAA rally in Ballari.
‘Arrest Somashekar Reddy’
Meanwhile, the Congress on Sunday demanded that MLA Somashekar Reddy should be booked and arrested for making a provocative speech.
In a joint press meet in Ballari, Rajya Sabha member Nasir Hussain, MLCs Allam Veerabhadrappa and K C Kondaiah, former MLAs Suryanarayana Reddy and Anjaneyalu among others pressed the government to initiate legal action against Reddy.