(Bloomberg) -- India criticized the US State Department for raising concerns about the South Asian nation’s citizenship law, saying the comments were “misplaced and unwarranted.”

The Citizenship Amendment Act, which fast-tracks citizenship for non-Muslim immigrants, was enacted this week, just as India heads into elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has said the law is meant to protect religious minorities, but opposition parties and activists have said the law is discriminatory and violates India’s secular traditions.

Read More: All About India’s Controversial New Citizenship Law: QuickTake

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller raised concerns about the legislation when asked about it at a regular briefing Thursday, saying the US is “closely monitoring” the law and how it will be implemented. “Respect for religious freedom and equal treatment under the law for all communities are fundamental democratic principles,” he said. 

In a sharp rebuke, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Friday the US shouldn’t make comments about historical matters it doesn’t understand.

“Lectures by those who have a limited understanding of India’s pluralistic traditions and the region’s post-partition history are best not attempted,” the ministry said in a statement. The law “is about giving citizenship, not about taking away citizenship,” it said.

The CAA, as the law is known, sparked deadly protests in 2019, when the legislation was passed by the parliament. The government delayed implementing the law for several years because of its contentious nature. Opposition groups have slammed Modi’s administration for enacting the law so soon before elections, saying it’s designed to polarize voters.  

--With assistance from Swati Gupta.

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