New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday officially notified the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), paving the way for fast-tracking citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Under the provisions of the CAA, Indian citizenship will be granted to six minority communities - Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, and Parsis - who arrived in India before December 31, 2014, from these three neighboring countries.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah took to X and informed, "The Modi government today notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024. These rules will now enable minorities persecuted on religious grounds in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to acquire citizenship in our nation. With this notification PM Shri @narendramodi Ji has delivered on another commitment and realised the promise of the makers of our constitution to the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians living in those countries."
The newly notified rules streamline the application process, allowing eligible migrants to apply online through a dedicated portal.
Regarding the same, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stated, "The Constitution of India grants us the right to provide religious persecuted refugees with fundamental rights and to grant citizenship from a humanitarian perspective. The implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act was delayed due to the COVID pandemic", as reported by news agency ANI.
According to parliamentary protocol, the rules for any legislation should be framed within six months of presidential assent. However, since 2020, the Home Ministry has been seeking extensions at regular intervals from parliamentary committees for framing the CAA rules.
CAA Notification: Congress Claims Attempt To 'Polarise', Bengal CM Mamata Says Will 'Oppose Discrimination'
The Congress party has questioned the timing of the notification alleging an attempt at "polarisation" ahead of the Lok Sabha Election 2024.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh took to X and posted, "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."
"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. It also appears to be an attempt to manage the headlines after the Supreme Court’s severe strictures on the Electoral Bonds Scandal," he remarked.
Addressing a press conference, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stressed that she would oppose the CAA if it discriminates against groups of people.
She highlighted that the CAA and the NRC are sensitive issues to West Bengal and the Northeast and said she does not want unrest before the Lok Sabha elections.
Banerjee said, "There are speculations that CAA ruled will be notified. Let me be very clear that we will oppose anything that discriminates people. Let them bring out the rules, then we will speak on the issue after going through the rules", as quoted by news agency PTI.
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan described the CAA as a communally divisive law and asserted that it will not be implemented in the state, PTI reported.
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CAA Rules: MHA Says Applications To Be Submitted In 'Completely Online Mode'
One notable aspect of the rules is the exemption of displaced minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan from providing any documents during the application process.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has prepared a portal to facilitate the application process, which will be entirely online.
Applicants will be required to declare the year of their entry into India without travel documents, and no additional documentation will be requested from them. The benefits under the CAA will be extended to undocumented minorities from the three neighboring countries.
Opposition to the CAA has been prevalent with protests erupting across the country following its passage in Parliament. However, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has reiterated the government's commitment to implementing the CAA, dismissing opposition claims and accusing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of misleading the public on the issue.
The implementation of the CAA has also been a contentious political topic, particularly in states like West Bengal. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emphasised its commitment to implementing the CAA, considering it a crucial factor in its electoral success in the region.
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Since 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs has been seeking extensions from parliamentary committees for framing the rules associated with the CAA. Meanwhile, district magistrates and home secretaries of nine states have been granted powers to confer Indian citizenship on non-Muslim minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan under the Citizenship Act, 1955. These states include Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Maharashtra. However, authorities in districts of Assam and West Bengal, where the issue is politically sensitive, have not been given such powers thus far, according to PTI.
The annual report of the Ministry of Home Affairs for 2021-22 revealed that a total of 1,414 foreigners belonging to these non-Muslim minority communities were granted Indian citizenship through registration or naturalization between April 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021.
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