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Even as northeast India – including states of Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura – witness violent protests in the aftermath of the passing of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament, RSS General Secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for their decision.
Joshi said the stand of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has always been that a Hindu who comes to India because of persecution in another country cannot be termed as an intruder, but a refugee.
The Bill, which seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The Lok Sabha passed it on Monday.
Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Joshi hailed the passage of the Bill in both Houses of Parliament as a "courageous step." He thanked the BJP-led central government, the prime minister and the home minister for taking the initiative.
But, the present government has taken a "very good step" and the minority communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will get a respectable place in India, Joshi said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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