On January 29, Union Minister Shantanu Thakur announced that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) would come into effect nationwide within a week. His comments prompted responses from several leaders. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Tamil Nadu counterpart, MK Stalin, have strongly opposed it.
What Mamata Banerjee said
Banerjee has strongly opposed the CAA and related policies such as the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Uniform Civil Code. She alleged that these were mere political ploys before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“They (BJP) are talking about NRC, CAA and Uniform Civil Code before the elections. This is nothing but politics. We have given citizenship to everyone (and) they (people in border areas) are getting everything. They are citizens, that is why they can vote,” PTI quoted her as saying.
“Let me make it very clear that as long as I am alive, I will not allow NRC implementation in West Bengal. I will not allow them to take away the citizenship of anyone. Everyone here is a citizen,” Banerjee added.
What MK Stalin said
Meanwhile, Knesset member Stalin reflected this resistance. The Tamil Nadu CM, who is currently on a foreign tour, has stated that the DMK government will block the CAA in the state. He criticized the law for discriminating against Muslims and Sri Lankan Tamil refugees.
Stalin has also condemned the AIADMK, Tamil Nadu's main opposition, for supporting the CAA in Parliament. He highlighted the DMK's history of opposition to the CAA, including protests and a signature campaign. Under his leadership, the state government urged the central government to withdraw the CAA.
According to him, the people are witnessing the Centre's actions which are “against the mutual harmony” and the “drama” of the AIADMK. Stalin said the DMK government would never implement the controversial law.
What is CAA?
The CAA is a law that aims to expedite the acquisition of Indian citizenship for non-Muslim immigrants from three neighboring countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The law aims to help those who arrived in India before December 31, 2014 and who have faced religious persecution in their home country. Essentially, it aims to help individuals from Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have fled to India due to persecution based on their religion.
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Published: Feb 1, 2024 12:12 IST