'Over 52L missed calls received in support of CAA': Home Minister Amit Shah

Amid the unrest over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) across the country, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday, January 6, stated that the party received over 52 lakh missed calls in support of the act.

He said, "52,72,000 missed calls have been received on a special number in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act from verifiable phone numbers, total 68 lakh calls have been received." 

The BJP on Friday had launched a pro-CAA campaign with a toll-free number that let the common people give a missed call in order to register themselves in support of the newly amended law. Along with it, the party is carrying out several other campaigns to create awareness. 

BJP holds CAA awareness rallies

Amid the protests around the CAA and the National Population Register (NPR), BJP has planned to undertake an outreach program to clear the "misconceptions" around the same. This was decided after BJP's top brass met in a high-level meeting chaired by working president JP Nadda.

As per sources, BJP's top leadership including Home Minister and party president Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will take part in the awareness campaigns from January 1 to January 15. On Sunday, Amit Shah and Smriti Irani held a door-to-door campaign to spread awareness about CAA. 

Read: Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma urges BJP to not politicise Kota infant deaths

Protests over CAA

The Citizenship Act was passed in the Lok Sabha on December 9 and then by the Rajya Sabha on December 11. The Act seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. 

Read: Kejriwal hits back at Amit Shah, says 'point out shortcomings, will implement suggestions'

Several protests after the passing of the bill and ended up taking a violent turn. The protests initially erupted across Assam, West Bengal, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, following the violence at Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi where over 50 students were detained by police during the protests. 

The anti-CAA movement has spread to more places like Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pondicherry, Patna and so on. Protests are also erupting against the National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). 

Read: Tajinder Bagga challenges Konkona Sharma to 'prove anti-CAA protest video is doctored'

Read: BJP's Nadda meets representatives from Budhhist & Christian communities in support of CAA

(WITH ANI INPUTS)