Defending the CAA, BJP leader Ram Madhav on Saturday said even Austria had amended its law to grant citizenship to Jews and asserted that people coming to India for genuine reasons can seek to become its nationals.
The stand that persecuted religious minorities fleeing Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh should be accommodated and provided citizenship was echoed by leaders, including Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Pranab Mukherjee and even the CPI(M), he said.
Persecution of minorities in such neighbouring countries was an "established fact," he said.
Addressing a meet here on the contentious law, the senior Saffron party leader said: "Austria amended its citizenship Act to grant citizenship to children, grand children and great grand children of Jews."
Asserting that the Citizenship Amendment Act only fast tracked grant of citizenship to minorities from neighbouring countries, he said the protests against it were not happening for "valid reasons and they are misinformed."