Union Minister Shantanu Thakur asserted on Sunday that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) would be implemented nationwide within next seven days. This BJP leader made the statement during a public meeting in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal.
While addressing a public meeting in Kakdwip, South 24 Parganas district, Thakur said, "I affirm from this podium that within the ensuing 7 days, the realization of this legislation shall not only materialize in Bengal but shall extend comprehensively throughout the entirety of the nation."
Addressing a public rally at Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas district on Sunday evening, Thakur, also the Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, said, "Ram Mandir has been inaugurated. Within the next one week, CAA will be implemented not only in West Bengal but also across the country."
Criticising the ruling party in West Bengal Trinamool Congress in West Bengal for its staunch opposition to the CAA, he said, "This state government claims that if you have voter and Aadhaar cards, you are a citizen of this country and can cast your votes. If that is the case, then why is it that thousands of people here have been deprived of their right to vote? The chief minister has to answer why these people have been deprived." He emphasised the imperative of implementing the CAA to safeguard future generations," as quoted by PTI.
It is pertinent to note that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) received clearance from Parliamen in December 2019. The CAA, enacted by the Centre in 2019, seeks to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim immigrants, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians, from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who entered India before December 31, 2014.
On the other hand, TMC in West Bengal dismissed the claim as a "poll rhetoric", while vowing to prevent CAA implementation in the state.
Speaking to reporters in Kolkata on Monday, Thakur,a prominent Matua community leader, reiterated, "I stand by what I stated yesterday. The CAA will be implemented within seven days. This is my guarantee," as quoted by PTI. The Matuas, comprising a significant portion of the state's Scheduled Caste population, have been migrating to West Bengal since the 1950s, fleeing religious persecution in erstwhile East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.