Ahmedabad | Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said a large number refugees were denied citizenship rights in the country due to the appeasement policy of past governments led by the Congress and its allies.

Addressing a gathering in Ahmedabad after handing over citizenship certificates to 188 Hindu refugees in Gujarat, Shah said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) is about giving rights and justice to lakhs of refugees.

He also assured Muslims that there is no provision in the CAA to take away anyone's citizenship, as it is about granting citizenship.

The past governments allowed crores of intruders into the country and made them citizens illegally, he said.

At the same time, they denied citizenship to those who followed the law and applied for the same by saying there was no legal provision for it, Shah said.

"Because of the policy of appeasement of past governments run by the Congress and its allies, those who came to the country for refuge did not get rights and justice," the minister said.

He said Bangladesh had 27 per cent Hindus at the time of partition, but today they are just 9 per cent as they have been subjected to forced religious conversion.