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New Delhi: The Centre on Monday announced the notification of the rules to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act, just days ahead of the announcement of Lok Sabha elections. Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 allows individuals, who are eligible under CAA-2019, to apply for Indian citizenship. The opposition parties, especially Congress, promptly reacted to the Modi-led Government’s decision and raised questions over its timing. The grand old party’s veteran leader Jairam Ramesh took to X (formerly Twitter) and questioned the timing of the implementation of CAA, stating that it was announced ahead of the Lok Sabha elections to polarize the voters in Assam and West Bengal.
In the post, Ramesh stated that the BJP took over four years to notify the rules as it was passed by the Parliament in 2019. “The law should have been formed within 3-6 months,” he said.
“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,” said Ramesh.
“After seeking nine extensions for the notification of the rules, the timing right before the elections is evidently designed to polarise the elections, especially in West Bengal and Assam,” Ramesh added in the post.
दिसंबर 2019 में संसद द्वारा पारित नागरिकता संशोधन अधिनियम के नियमों को अधिसूचित करने में मोदी सरकार को चार साल और तीन महीने लग गए। प्रधानमंत्री दावा करते हैं कि उनकी सरकार बिल्कुल प्रोफेशनल ढंग से और समयबद्ध तरीक़े से काम करती है। सीएए के नियमों को अधिसूचित करने में लिया गया इतना…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) March 11, 2024
Notably, CAA aims to provide Indian citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants – including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians – who migrated from countries like Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan and arrived in the country before December 2014.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also reacted to the Centre’s decision and stated that his party’s ‘objections to CAA remain the same.’
“Aap chronology samajhiye, pehle election season aayega phir CAA rules aayenge. Our objections to CAA remain the same. CAA is divisive & based on Godse’s thought that wanted to reduce Muslims to second-class citizens. Give asylum to anyone who is persecuted but citizenship must not be based on religion or nationality. The govt should explain why it kept these rules pending for five years & why it’s implementing it now. Along with NPR-NRC, CAA is meant to only target Muslims, it serves no other purpose. Indians who came out on the streets to oppose CAA NPR NRC will have no choice but to oppose it again,” he tweeted.
Aap chronology samajhiye, pehle election season aayega phir CAA rules aayenge. Our objections to CAA remain the same. CAA is divisive & based on Godse’s thought that wanted to reduce Muslims to second-class citizens.
Give asylum to anyone who is persecuted but citizenship must…
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) March 11, 2024
Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said, “The BJP government is desperate and many such announcements will be made. They are scared of what people will do but people have made their decision…”
#WATCH | On the CAA notification, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa says, “The BJP government is desperate and many such announcements will be made. They are scared of what people will do but people have made their decision…” pic.twitter.com/H7YLmEikq3
— ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2024
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said that people have now understood the BJP’s game of politics of distraction.
When the citizens of the country are forced to go out for livelihood, then what will happen by bringing ‘citizenship law’ for others? The public has now understood the BJP’s game of politics of distraction. The BJP government should explain why lakhs of citizens gave up their citizenship of the country during their 10 years of rule. No matter what happens tomorrow ‘Electoral Bond’ You will have to give account of the ‘care fund’ and then also the ‘care fund’, he tweeted.
जब देश के नागरिक रोज़ी-रोटी के लिए बाहर जाने पर मजबूर हैं तो दूसरों के लिए ‘नागरिकता क़ानून’ लाने से क्या होगा?
जनता अब भटकावे की राजनीति का भाजपाई खेल समझ चुकी है। भाजपा सरकार ये बताए कि उनके 10 सालों के राज में लाखों नागरिक देश की नागरिकता छोड़ कर क्यों चले गये।
चाहे कुछ हो…
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) March 11, 2024
Kashmir’s Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam said, “A separate press conference will be done on this issue where I will be speaking whatever I have to…”
#WATCH | On the CAA notification, Kashmir’s Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam says “A separate press conference will be done on this issue where I will be speaking whatever I have to…” pic.twitter.com/KY5EcCPEuG
— ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2024
Delhi Minister Atishi questioned the Central Government’s implementation of CAA ahead of Lok Sabha Polls, “…Just a few days before the Lok Sabha elections, CAA is being brought. What does this show? This shows that Modi govt knows that they haven’t done any work in the last 10 years..,” she said.
#WATCH | Delhi: AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi says, “…Just a few days before the Lok Sabha elections, CAA is being brought. What does this show? This shows that Modi govt knows that they haven’t done any work in the last 10 years…” pic.twitter.com/POWNLe6paA
— ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2024
West Bengal Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari praised the step, “…Hindu refugees in West Bengal are very happy…This is a very good step. This is not an attempt to snatch someone’s citizenship. Mamata Banerjee tried a lot to create confusion… This law is very clear…This is a law to give citizenship and not to take it away…”
Under the Citizenship Act of 1955, Indian citizenship by registration or naturalization is granted to non-Muslim minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan in nine states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Maharashtra. It’s notable that authorities in districts of Assam and West Bengal, both politically sensitive regions on this matter, have not been empowered with these citizenship-granting authorities thus far.
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