CAA Sparks Nationwide Protests Despite Presidential Approval
New Delhi, India – The Ministry of Home Affairs has officially notified the rules for the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) on March 11. This move aims to streamline the process of granting citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, according to official sources.
The CAA, passed by Parliament in December 2019 and subsequently approved by then-President Ramnath Kovind, is a significant legislative development. The act grants citizenship to six minority communities (Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian) fleeing religious persecution from the mentioned countries. To be eligible, migrants must have entered India on or before December 31, 2014.
Under the CAA, these migrants will be granted fast-track Indian citizenship within six years, a departure from the previous norm of an eleven-year residency requirement for naturalization. Notably, Muslims are not included in the CAA, as they are not considered minorities in the specified countries.
Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier confirmed that the rules for CAA implementation would be notified before elections, stating, “The CAA is a law of the country and its notification will definitely be issued. It will be issued before the polls. The CAA will be implemented before the elections. No one should have any confusion about it.”
Reacting to the news, Union Minister Arjun Munda emphasized the government’s commitment to acting in the country’s best interests. He responded to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s remarks on the CAA, stating, “People who see things only through the political lens might have a different opinion, I won’t go into that. But, the government wants to ensure that whatever is in the interest of the country should be done.”
In response, Mamata Banerjee criticized the timing of the notification, stating, “You should have notified rules six months ago. If there are any good things, we always support and appreciate, but if anything is done that is not good for the country, TMC will always raise its voice and oppose it.”
With the CAA rules now in effect, the government’s focus remains on ensuring a smooth and lawful process for granting citizenship to eligible migrants while addressing any concerns raised by various stakeholders.
