Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP national general secretary, has said that Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) would be implemented and West Bengal government could do whatever it wants.
“Even if the West Bengal government opposes the implementation of CAA, we will go ahead in implementing it,” said Vijayvargiya. He was speaking to reporters at Thakurganj in North 24 Parganas district, largely inhabited by the backward Matua community.
The debate over Citizenship Amendment Act that took backstage amid the coronavirus pandemic is likely to take the centre stage once again in the West Bengal Assembly election, slated for next year.
BJP national president JP Nadda, who visited the poll-bound state earlier this week, also reiterated BJP’s position on implementing CAA and said that rules for implementation of the Act are being framed.
The Citizenship Amendment Act grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who came to India on or before December 31, 2014, to escape religious persecution.
The amended law that came into force on January 10 has been facing immense criticism from various quarters including political parties, BJP’s alliance members and student organisations.
Earlier this year, several parts of the country witnessed widespread protests against the legislation. The opposition also raised its concern over the amened law, questioning the government as to why the Muslim community has been left out of the legislation.
The Centre, however, maintained that the law is not aimed at taking away anybody’s citizenship but intended to protect the interests of the refugees of the three neighbouring countries. It also slammed the Opposition for allegedly misleading the people against the Act and accused it of creating nuisance across the country.
