Bengaluru Metropolitan Archbishop urges centre to grant citizenship on merit basis

Bengaluru: Metropolitan Archbishop of Bengaluru Peter Machado on Thursday urged the central government for dialogue with those opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act, and come to an agreement about the way forward with justice, equity and fairness.

He said there was no harm in backtracking or changing course if it was necessary for the good of the country and our people.

“It is necessary that the government dialogues with those opposing the Act, and come to an agreement about the way forward with justice, equity and fairness.

There is no harm in backtracking: changing course if this is necessary for the good of the country and our people,” Machado, who is also the President of All Karnataka United Christian Forum for Human Rights said.

In the memorandum submitted to the President, Prime Minister and the Governor of Karnataka, he said by doing so, it can mete out justice to all the illegal migrants and thus promote equality among them.

He pointed out that CAA has caused misunderstanding among the people and has led to violence and uproar in Assam, and now slowly spreading to other parts of the country as well.

“While appealing to the citizens to maintain peace and harmony, and that they should not recourse to violent methods to fight for their cause, we appeal to the Centre to grant citizenship to illegal migrants not on the basis of their religions, but on the merit of each individual case,” he said.

Religion should never be the criterion for citizenship of a country. Nor is violence a solution when there is a difference of opinion, the memorandum read.

Through this memorandum, we wish to stress the point that the Christian Community will continue to work for the betterment of all the citizens without any discrimination and will continue to build the nation based on equality, justice and fairness, the Archbishop further said.

We also express our solidarity with those who have been discriminated on the basis of religion, and assure them of our support and fellowship that justice may be granted to them and that all of us may live as one family as brothers and sisters in this our mother land, he added.