Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said by granting citizenship to minorities from other countries, the government has only fulfilled the promise made by Congress and its leaders in the past.

Quoting former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and former President Rajendra Prasad, Amit Shah said that the government at the time had promised to give shelter to anyone from the minority community, who had remained in Pakistan, to come and live in India whenever they wanted. "They promised them shelter and rights, even if they were not persecuted," Amit Shah said.

Speaking at Agenda AajTak 2019, Amit Shah also quoted Congress committee proposal made in 1950 to argue that Congress itself had promised shelter and refuge to only 'non-Muslims' coming to India from Pakistan.

The home minister also quoted a statement from Mahatma Gandhi from 1947, when he expressed concern about the condition of Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan.

"We are fulfilling commitments made by prime minister [Jawaharlal Nehru], president [Rajendra Prasad] and Parliament [1950]," Amit Shah said.

"But today Congress is singing a different tune when we are trying to do the thing that they had promised all along. Now they call me communal for doing what they promised," said Amit Shah.

Slamming Congress's accusations of discriminating against Muslim immigrants, Amit Shah said, "I challenge Sonia Gandhi and Ghulam Nabi Azad to say that it is possible to grant citizenship to all Pakistani Muslims in India."

He went on to add that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is not aimed against Indian Muslims and the community has nothing to fear.

"The population of Muslims has not reduced in India. The population of Hindus has reduced in Pakistan because they are being persecuted there. Muslims aren't being persecuted here," Amit Shah said.

The home minister then said that Congress had given citizenship to Hindus who came from Uganda and asked where persecuted Hindus will go if not India.

"This is our duty. I want to ask Congress when Hindus came from Uganda, why did you give them citizenship? If what happened in Uganda happens again, where will Hindus go? They will come here. Where will Sikhs go? They will come here," said Amit Shah.

Congress and a delegation of opposition leaders on Tuesday met President Ram Nath Kovind to complain against the nationwide unrest against the amended citizenship law.

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