Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) will be notified and put into effect before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Speaking at the ET NOW Global Summit 2024, Shah emphasized the commitment of the government to implement the CAA, which was passed by Parliament in December 2019.
Shah criticized the Congress party for allegedly backtracking on its promise to implement the CAA, stating that it was initially a pledge made by the Congress government. He highlighted the humanitarian aspect of the CAA, reiterating that it aims to provide citizenship to persecuted minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, without taking away anyone's citizenship.
The CAA, introduced by the Modi government in 2019, seeks to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians, who arrived in India before December 31, 2014.
Expressing confidence in the electoral prospects of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shah predicted a landslide victory in the upcoming polls. He forecasted that the BJP would secure 370 seats, with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) winning over 400 seats in total.
Shah attributed this anticipated victory to the government's bold decisions, such as the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. He asserted that the electorate's support for the BJP reflects their approval of such decisive actions, leading to the expected electoral triumph.