Hope every single immigrant in India may equally benefit: Microsoft CEO

India, for over a month now, has witnessed protests and counter-protests after the government passed that allows persecuted refugees, including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians but not Muslims, who came here on or before December 31, 2014, from three neighbouring countries to seek citizenship of the country.

Washington: Satya Nadella, the CEO of American multinational technology Microsoft Corporation, on Monday said he hoped that every single immigrant who is provided the status of being a citizen of the country under the newly amended Citizenship Amendment Act, which has caused a lot of furore across the country, may aspire for a prosperous future and equally benefit the society and economy.

Nadella, in a statement, said, "Every country will and should define its borders, protect national security and set immigration policy accordingly. And in democracies, that is something that the people and their governments will debate and define within those bounds."

"I'm shaped by my Indian heritage, growing up in a multicultural India and my immigrant experience in the United States. My hope is for an India where an immigrant can aspire to found a prosperous start-up or lead a multinational corporation benefitting Indian society and the economy at large," he added in the first-ever reaction from a big tech CEO on India's citizenship debate.

Nadella, an Indian immigrant in the US who now heads the American tech giant, however, called the new legislation "bad and sad" in an interview with Buzzfeed editor Ben Smith.

In a tweet, Ben said: Asked Microsoft CEO @satyanadella about India's new Citizenship Act. (He said) I think what is happening is sad... It's just bad... I would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant who comes to India and creates the next unicorn in India or becomes the next CEO of Infosys.

India, for over a month now, has witnessed protests and counter-protests after the government passed that allows persecuted refugees, including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians but not Muslims, who came here on or before December 31, 2014, from three neighbouring countries (Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan) to seek citizenship of the country.