Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said that those frustrated at being rejected by the people are bent upon carrying out their conspiracy to defame the Bharatiya Janata Party—led government at the Centre by spreading misinformation about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

The Chief Minister said this while addressing the media at the circuit house in Almora on Friday. Rawat said that providing refuge to those in need was an old tradition in India.

He cited the quotes of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and other tall leaders in support of this aspect of Indian culture and ideals. He stressed that the CAA was to grant citizenship and not to take it from any Indian citizen. More than 200 persons had been identified in Uttarakhand for citizenship of which the majority are in Rishikesh, Dehradun and Udham Singh Nagar.

Citing data, he said that at the time of the creation of Pakistan, the Hindus comprised 23 per cent of the population which has now decreased to about 2.7 per cent.

 On the other hand, the population of Muslims has grown in India since the nation gained independence. Rawat said that members of the minority communities are forcibly converted in Pakistan. Their children are forced into labour and child marriages. Referring to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said that he was a bold PM who had taken one bold decision after another since assuming office.

Lambasting the Congress party, he said that the party is still working on the policy of dividing the people. Terming the people spreading lies about CAA as urban naxals, he said that misinformation was being spread to divide the people for political gains.

The State minister Rekha Arya, Salt MLA Surendra Jeena and others were also present at the Press conference addressed by Rawat.