By Shishir Arya
Nagpur: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is organizing drives to help Hindus and persons of other minority communities, who have immigrated from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, apply under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Alongside, the VHP is also urging 100% voting in the Lok Sabha polls, with a special focus on opposing any none-of-the-above (NOTA) votes.
The citizenship camps and help desks are being set up particularly in states like West Bengal and Kerala, where there has been opposition to the law by the political leadership, said VHP general secretary (organization) Milind Parande. The drive will soon spread across all states, under which persons of minority religions like Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Parsis coming from these countries will be located. CAA is applicable only to persons who have crossed the border before December 2014.
After the CAA came into force last month, VHP began the drive to locate eligible persons and get them citizenship under the new law. Even earlier, the organization was working to help Hindus from countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, but it was a tedious process. Now, since CAA is in force, it has become much easier, said Parande.
Apart from Hindus coming from Pakistan, especially Sindh province, there has been a large influx from Bangladesh also, said Parande. Apart from the eastern states, Bangladeshi Hindus have settled in other parts of the country, including pockets in Vidarbha, he said. Their persecution had continued even after formation of Bangladesh, he said.
This story was originally published in timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Read the full story here.