New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah Thursday denied having any opportunistic ‘timing’ in the context of Lok Sabha polls in notifying the rules for the implementation Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
Amit Shah came down on the Opposition accusing them of indulging in ‘politics of lies’ , adding BJP has done as it promised in its manifesto in 2019 that it would bring in CAA and give citizenship to ‘refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan’, The Indian Express reported citing ANI.
‘The party came to power with a majority. In 2019, it was passed by Parliament but got delayed due to Covid… The opposition wants to do appeasement politics and wants to consolidate their vote bank,’ Shah told news agency ANI.
Shah, attempting to allay fears, said that there is no provision in CAA to take away anyone’s citizenship; on the other hand, he said ‘CAA is only to give rights and citizenship to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, Christians and Parsi refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.’
‘No need for minorities or any other person to fear because there is no provision in CAA to take away anyone’s citizenship,’ Shah was quoted as saying, adding that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) has ‘nothing to do with the CAA’.
However, back in 2019 Shah, according to the Indian Express, declared that the NRC would follow CAA.
Similar to the protests in 20219, once again Assam is seeing upheavals against CAA , following notification of its rules.
The CAA was seen as violating the 1985 Assam Accord, which laid out that only those foreigners who had come into the state before March 24, 1971 would be granted citizenship; But in the case of CAA it is December 31, 2014.
Shah told the news agency that ‘CAA will be implemented in Assam and other parts of the country’ adding only the States in the North East where two types of special rights exits will not implement CAA.
‘ Only the States in the North East where two types of special rights have been granted, only those areas will not implement CAA. This includes the areas where there is a provision for the Inner Line Permit (ILP) and the areas that are granted special status under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution,’ he reportedly said.
When asked about certain states having declared not to implement it, Shah said states don’t have the rights, adding that Article 11 Constitution gives all powers to Parliament to make rules regarding citizenship.
Shah hoped that ‘everyone will cooperate after the elections. They are spreading misinformation for appeasement politics.’