Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wants India to be a place where immigrants prosper

“Every country will and should define its borders, 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,” Nadella said in an emailed response to ET late on Monday.Historian Ramachandra Guha, who has opposed the new Citizenship Amendment Act saying that it was against the country’s Constitution, welcomed Nadella’s statement and asked Indian IT leaders to show similar courage.

“I am glad Satya Nadella has said what he has. I wish that one of our own IT czars had the courage and wisdom to say this first. Or to say it even now,” Guha wrote on Twitter.

Former Infosys board member T V Mohandas Pai, who supports the government, said Nadella was confused and was misled by Indian leftist academics in the US. “… @satyanadella Pl study the CAA before you comment! We respect you as @Microsoft CEO and you must not make comments to malign India!,” Pai wrote on the microblogging platform.

Last week, the government notified the law that makes it easier for Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian community members fleeing persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to get Indian citizenship. Many have protested against this law, saying that it discriminated against Muslims and violated the Indian Constitution.

Note: The story has been updated to include Satya Nadella’s comment.