Amit Shah (ANI file photo)

NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday backed the Election Commission’s SIR, and said Hindus from Pakistan and Bangladesh have rights on Indian soil while distinguishing refugees from infiltrators.“I want to ask all citizens, who should decide who becomes the prime minister or chief minister? Should anyone other than the citizens of the country have the right to decide this?” Shah asked at an event in New Delhi, reported news agency PTI.Shah said that Hindus in Pakistan were promised refuge in India under the Nehru-Liaquat Pact after partition, but the successive governments failed to honour that promise, which was finally fulfilled by the Modi government through the Citizenship Amendment Act.“Just as much right I have on the soil of this country, that much right the Hindus of Pakistan-Bangladesh have on this soil. I say this as the home minister of the country,” he said.Shah further explained that refugees come to India to save their religion, while infiltrators cross over illegally for economic reasons. “Those who have not faced religious persecution and want to come illegally for economic or other reasons are infiltrators. If anyone in the world who wants to come here is allowed, our country will become a dharamshala,” he said.The home minister also said no one should interfere with the SIR process, adding that such exercises were also held when the Congress was in power. “The opposition is opposing it because their vote banks are getting cut. It is the Election Commission’s Constitutional responsibility to clean the voters’ list. If you have any issues, you can go to court,” he said.Citing Census data, Shah said the Hindu population fell from 84% in 1951 to 79% in 2011, while the Muslim population rose from 9.8% to 14.2%.“According to the 2011 Census, the growth rate of Muslims was 24.6% and that of Hindus 16.8%. This is not because of fertility but due to infiltration,” he remarked.