Following the notification issued by the Union Home Ministry on Monday regarding the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee characterized the announcement as a ‘political gimmick’ in light of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
“Had the Union government been so serious about CAA, they could have notified it earlier. Why did they notify CAA just before the Lok Sabha elections? We will study the notification first and then announce our next course of action. But one thing is clear, if there is discrimination — religious or caste-based — I will not tolerate that,” CM Banerjee told reporters on Monday evening.
She also referred to the CAA as a tool used to deceive the public before the Lok Sabha elections, given the complexity of granting citizenship.
“If people from all religions enroll in the CAA portal, will that be effective? How can the BJP raise questions over the citizenship of people who voted them to power? I have my doubts about CAA. I request the people not to be scared. There will be no CAA in West Bengal,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Congress also questioned the timing of the move as it has come just ahead of the 2024 General Elections, most likley to be held in April-May.
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“It has taken four years and three months for the Modi Government to notify the rules for the Citizenship Amendment Act that was passed by the Parliament in December 2019. The Prime Minister claims that his Government works in a business-like and time-bound manner. The time taken to notify the rules for the CAA is yet another demonstration of the Prime Minister’s blatant lies,” Jairam Ramesh, the communication head of the Congress, posted on X (formerly Twitter).
The law aims to grant citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Parsis who arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014, from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
