'Would love to see Bangladeshi immigrants create next unicorn in India'

Microsoft's Indian-origin CEO Satya Nadella has joined the chorus against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in India, saying what is happening is "just bad" and he would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant create the next unicorn in India.

Nadella's remarks came while speaking to editors at a Microsoft event in Manhattan where he was asked about the CAA which grants citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

"I think what is happening is sad... It's just bad.... I would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant who comes to India and creates the next unicorn in India or becomes the next CEO of Infosys (top IT company of India)," Nadella was quoted as saying by Ben Smith, the Editor-in-Chief of New York-based BuzzFeed News.

In a statement issued later by Microsoft India, Nadella said "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. 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".

The CAA passed by Indian parliament on December 11 went into force from January 10.

According to the amended legislation, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 due to religious persecution will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.

There have been widespread protests across India against the Act.