Home minister Amit Shah

Launching a scathing attack on Opposition, home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will not be rolled back.

“Protest as much as you want, but CAA will not be repealed,” Shah said while addressing a rally in Lucknow.

Shah also accused the opposition of ‘misleading’ the people on the CAA and said there is no provision in the amended law for taking anyone’s citizenship away.

“A canard is being spread against the CAA by the Congress, SP, BSP, and Trinamool Congress. The CAA is a law to grant citizenship; there is no provision of taking away anyone’s citizenship,” Outlook quoted Shah as saying.

The home minister challenged the opposition leaders to hold a discussion with him on the CAA at a public forum.

“I have come to you for a Jan Jagaran Abhiyan in Lucknow. Our government is hardly eight months old, but we are conducting this campaign to dispell the falsities being spread by the opposition against CAA. I challenge Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav to engage in a debate on CAA,” Shah said.

For weeks now, protesters across the country have taken to the streets to oppose the CAA and the idea of a countrywide citizens register (NRC).

Faced with a backlash whose scale its leaders didn’t anticipate, the BJP has launched an outreach campaign.