CAA not anti-India or anti-Muslim, says Gautam Gambhir

BJP MP from East Delhi, Gautam Gambhir appealed to people to maintain peace. He claimed that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 is not "anti-India or anti-Muslim".

New Delhi: Amid nationwide protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, BJP MP from East Delhi, Gautam Gambhir on Saturday appealed to people to maintain peace and said that the Act is not "anti-India or anti-Muslim".

"I would like to appeal to maintain peace. This (Act) is not anti-India or anti-Muslim," Gambhir told media here and added that CAA is about giving citizenship and not taking it away from anyone.

"Earlier I had posted a video on Twitter. In that also I urged people to protest peacefully. The way you are damaging public property is not acceptable. No political party should look at this from a political angle. Youth should not be instigated. Our responsibility is to build their future and not to ruin it. People should not take law into their hands," Gambhir said.

On Saturday, Gambhir wrote a letter to DCP, Shahdara District, East Delhi, seeking safety and security stating that he has been getting life threats for himself and his family.

"I have been receiving death threats for me and my family from an international number. I request you to file an FIR for the same and ensure safety and security to my family," the letter read.

The CAA grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.