New Delhi/IBNS: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has lashed out at the opposition parties for doing "politics of lies" by opposing the implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which aims to grant citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from neighbouring countries.

In an interview on ANI show Podcast with Smita Prakash, Shah said, "All opposition parties including Owaisi, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee are doing politics of lies..."

He added, "All opposition parties including Owaisi, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee are doing politics of lies. There is no question of timing. BJP said in its manifesto in 2019 that it would bring CAA and give citizenship to refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan...In 2019, it was passed by Parliament but got delayed due to Covid...

"The opposition wants to do appeasement politics and wants to consolidate their vote bank. They have been exposed and the people of the country know that CAA is the law of this country. I have said 41 times in the last 4 years that it would be implemented before the elections…"

Shah's comment comes after several opposition parties have slammed the implementation of CAA on different grounds.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is taking Shah's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) head on, has urged people not to apply for CAA or else they would, as she alleged, lose their rights immediately.

"There is no clarity in the rules. I am not against granting citizenship but an Act which discriminates against people," she said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday lashed out at the BJP over the CAA implementation, accusing the country's ruling party of depriving Indian children of their rights.

Kejriwal says by implementing CAA, the government is giving away the rights of the children to migrants from neighbouring countries, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

The Delhi Chief Minister said, "If BJP does not withdraw CAA, then people should express their anger by voting against BJP. In the last 10 years, 11 lakh rich industrialists and businessmen left India. If BJP has to bring them back, then it should bring these people back.

"They will come to India, they have money, they will provide employment. What disgrace is this that we will give place to the people of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan in India and will give them employment which is right for our children."

The Centre Monday notified the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The notification paves the way for granting Indian citizenship to people belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian communities on grounds of religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh from 1947 to 2015.

The Parliament passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in December 2019.