Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Criticizes India’s Citizenship Amendment Act

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella waded into the raging debate on India’s new citizenship law passed last month, becoming the first of India's emigrant tech executives to comment on the topic that has deeply polarized public opinion in India. However, it is unclear if he called the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) itself bad.

“I think it’s just, bad if anything I would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant who comes to India and creates the next unicorn in India, or becomes the CEO of Infosys, that should be the aspiration,” Nadella told Ben Smith of Buzzfeed at a Microsoft event Monday, Jan. 13. He added that if he had to replicate what happened to him in the U.S., he hopes that is what happens in India.

CAA gives an accelerated path to citizenship for persecuted minorities of Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Sikh and Zoroastrian communities from neighboring Muslim countries, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

Nadella and Sundar Pichai, who is the CEO of Google and Alphabet, are immigrants from India in the U.S. leading major tech companies. It is likely that Nadella, who moved to a new country from India and was accepted in the U.S. on the basis of merit, wants immigration rules and laws to be open and less divisive.

At the Microsoft event in Manhattan, Nadella, who grew up in Hyderabad, also talked about his multicultural ethos. He stated that he is proud of his heritage and grew up in a city that celebrated Eid, Christmas and Diwali with equal enthusiasm.

After Smith tweeted the CEO’s remarks, Microsoft India released a statement attributed to Nadella.

“Every country will and should define its border, protect national security and set immigration policy accordingly. And in democracies, that is something that the people and their governments will debate and define within those bounds. I’m shaped by my Indian heritage, growing up in a multicultural India and my immigrant experience in the United States. My hope is for an India where an immigrant can aspire to found a prosperous start-up or lead a multinational corporation benefitting Indian society and the economy at large.”

Nadella’s comments came amid mass protests against CAA, which have spread across different cities in India. The newly-passed law triggered protests challenging the government’s stand. Many stated that it directly violates Article 14 of the Constitution which is the Right to Equality. Meanwhile, the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has started a door-to-door campaign to clear doubts and dispel any myths regarding the CAA.

The government has cited that the partition between India and Pakistan in 1947 was based on religion. The central government has maintained that Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan are Muslim-majority nations and Muslims are less likely to face any religious persecution there.