NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday slammed the US Commission for International Religious Freedom ( USCIRF ) for its remarks on the Citizenship Amendment Bill and said the statement by the American body is "neither accurate nor warranted."In a statement issued on Monday, the US Commission for International Religious Freedom alleged that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill enshrines a pathway to citizenship for immigrants that specifically excludes Muslims, setting a legal criterion for citizenship based on religion. The body also sought sanctions against Union home minister Amit Shah if the Bill was passed by Parliament."The CAB is a dangerous turn in the wrong direction; it runs counter to India's rich history of secular pluralism and the Indian Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law regardless of faith," the US commission said.Rejecting the US body's remark, the ministry of external affairs issued a strong rebuttal and said, "The position articulated by USCIRF is not surprising given its past record. It is, however, regrettable that the body has chosen to be guided only by its prejudices and biases on a matter on which it clearly has little knowledge and no locus standi."Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, in a statement said, the Bill that was passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday midnight, "provides expedited consideration for Indian citizenship to persecuted religious minorities already in India from certain contiguous countries".He said the Bill "seeks to address their current difficulties and meet their basic human rights"."Such an initiative should be welcomed, not criticized by those who are genuinely committed to religious freedom," he said."Neither the Citizenship Amendment Bill, nor the NRC process seeks to strip citizenship from any Indian citizen of any faith," he added.Read also: Will Citizenship Amendment Bill legalise religious discrimination?The Lok Sabha passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees coming from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan after facing religious persecution there, a little past midnight on Monday.Shah while introducing the Bill had made it clear that people belonging to any religion should not have any fear under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government as he asserted that the bill will give relief to those minorities who have been living a painful life after facing persecution in neighbouring countries.Shah asserted that the bill has the "endorsement of 130 crore Indian citizens" and rejected suggestions that the measure is anti-Muslims, saying it will give rights to persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan."Citizenship amendment bill has the endorsement of 130 crore citizens of the country as it was the part of the BJP manifesto in 2014 as well as 2019 Lok Sabha elections," he said.In its statement, the USCIRF said that it was deeply troubled over the passage of the bill in Lok Sabha."If the CAB passes in both houses of Parliament, the US government should consider sanctions against the Home Minister Amit Shah and other principal leadership," the commission said."The USCIRF is deeply troubled by the passage of the CAB, originally introduced by home minister Shah, in the Lok Sabha given the religion criterion in the bill," it added.(With inputs from agencies)