VHP to help refugees in getting Indian citizenship after CAA

Lucknow: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) will get in touch with refugees living in hundreds of various camps in the border states, to facilitate them in getting Indian citizenship.

The decision comes two days after the Centre notified the rules for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

VHP President Alok Kumar said that the workers have been asked to allay the fear of refugees, get them registered for citizenship and help them gain access to all the facilities which every Indian is entitled to.

“Many of the refugees, essentially persecuted minorities of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are living in subhuman conditions. They need to be reached out immediately,” he told reporters.

“This is in accord with the Indian tradition of giving refuge, respect and dignity to all those who suffer indignities outside and seek shelter in India,” he said.

The CAA was passed in December 2019 and subsequently got the President’s assent. However, it was notified on Monday.

Protests had initially erupted in several parts of the country against it in December 2019, stalling the process. Many opposition parties including the Congress and Samajwadi Party spoke out against the law, calling it “discriminatory”.

The VHP President said that a host of refugees have managed to get ration and Aadhaar but not citizenship and voting rights.

“All these problems need to be sorted out by coordinating with the authorities,” he said, maintaining that the applicants need to be mollified so that they come into the mainstream of development.

Sources said that the cadres within the VHP have been advised to fan out across the country as early as possible and help the refugees complete the requisite formalities.

A senior VHP functionary said that the workers have already been working in a host of camps for the past many years.

These camps have come up in the past 30 to 40 years in bordering states like Punjab, Rajasthan, West Bengal and North-East states. Communities which would be covered under CAA include Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Christians and Buddhists.

VHP Spokesperson Vinod Bansal said that nearly a dozen such camps exist in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) itself.

“Our workers have been providing them food, medicines and other facilities for the past many years. With the notification of the CAA rules the relief process will be expedited in the days to come,” he said.