Union Minister Shantanu Thakur has made a bold claim regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). He stated that the CAA will be implemented across the country within a week.
He made this statement during a program in Kakdwip, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal.
He said, 'I guarantee that within the next 7 days, this law will not only be implemented in Bengal but also in the entire country.
Regarding the CAA, Shantanu Thakur also mentioned the speech by Union Home Minister Amit Shah last December, in which Amit Shah referred to the Citizenship Amendment Act as the 'law of the land' and stated that no one can stop its implementation.
At that time, there were also allegations against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of misleading people regarding the CAA.
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is a law introduced by the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Under the CAA, persecuted non-Muslim immigrants (Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians) from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014, will be granted Indian citizenship.
This law was passed by the Indian Parliament in December 2019. After passing in Parliament, it was sent to the President for approval.
However, following its passage, protests against the law erupted in various states across the country, including prolonged demonstrations in Delhi (such as at Shaheen Bagh) and other areas.
Critics argue that this legislation discriminates against Muslims and violates the secular principles of the Constitution.
In 2020, Bengal passed a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), becoming the fourth state to do so. Mamata Banerjee had announced, 'In Bengal, we will not permit the enforcement of CAA, NRC, and NPR.'