Hyderabad, Jan 5 (IANS): Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy on Sunday said that the Narendra Modi government respects Indian Muslims and it is working for their development.

During door-to-door campaign in his Lok Sabha constituency Secunderabad here, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader tried to allay people's apprehensions and clear their misconceptions about Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

He said the legislation was aimed at granting citizenship to minorities who were persecuted in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. He said unlike the three nations, India is a secular country and home to people of all religions.

He slammed the Congress party for what he called provoking people on CAA and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). He remarked that Congress is warming itself in the fire from a burning house.

Accompanied by Telangana state BJP chief K. Laxman and other BJP leaders, Kishan Reddy reached out to people to explain to them why the government brought Citizenship law.

Reddy told the people that CAA was enacted to provide citizenship to those coming to India as refugees from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan due to attacks on minorities in those countries.

He said the Modi government decided to help refugees by giving them citizenship but Congress, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and other parties were opposing it and spreading lies about it.

The minister clarified that CAA would have no impact on Indian Muslims but the Opposition was running a false propaganda to create fears and apprehensions in the community.