By NewsGram Staff Writer

In the past one year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led NDA government has provided a shelter in the form of Indian citizenship to more than 4,200 Hindus and Sikhs, who have migrated from Pakistan and Afghanistan. This number is nearly four times greater than the amount of people migrated in last five years.

Statistically comparing both the UPA-II and the NDA government, Congress provided citizenship to 1,023 people in its five years tenure whereas BJP in its one year of incumbency has already provided shelter to 4,230 people, as calculated at the end of April 2015.

BJP clears its aim of providing citizenship by saying that they want to provide refuge to every Hindu who is facing persecution anywhere in the world, much like Israel's stance towards Jews.

"A natural home for persecuted Hindus" who "shall be welcome to seek refuge," declared BJP in their 2014 Lok Sabha election manifesto.

On being asked about the reason to provide citizenship to so many people, a Home Ministry spokesperson said, "The numbers of those granted citizenship are miniscule as compared to the country's population. Government has taken a call resolve the problems being faced by people of Indian origin who in anyway were staying in the country for long."

Government officials said, settling all the Indian origin citizens back from the neighboring Islamic countries might help the home ministry to expedite long-term visas and citizenship to those fleeing Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Since the BJP government took charge, almost 19,000 migrants have been given long term visas in Madhya Pradesh, 11,000 in Rajasthan, and around 4,000 in Gujarat, as per the officials.

As per the changes occurred in Citizenship Act, faster disposal of citizenship requests have the potential to open up the floodgates, which will eventually swell the number of those eventually allowed to be permanently based in India to around 10 lakhs by December 2016.