Will apply for citizenship under CAA: Union Minister Shantanu Thakur

New Delhi: Union minister and West Bengal MP Shantanu Thakur on Saturday said ‘One can apply for citizenship by taking a character certificate or related papers from any registered social organisation’, India Today reported.

In order to counter what he termed Trinamool Congress’ ‘false propaganda’, he said he would apply for citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act.

The Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways added he would apply for citizenship , nevertheless his grandmother ‘took citizenship through migration and I don’t need to apply.’

The Centre notified on March 11 the rules under the Act, which seeks to give citizenship to undocumented migrants from six minority religious communities from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

They will be given citizenship provided they have lived in India for six years, entering the country by December 31, 2014.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee came down against the Act saying that her party would stop the ‘ploy’ if individuals were sent to detention camps in the name of the Citizenship.

The Trinamool Congress reportedly claimed that applying for citizenship under the CAA would make somebody ‘ineligible for Aadhaar-linked welfare schemes’ thus their existing identification documents would be rendered useless.

Thakur was countering Trinamool’s argument when he said he would apply for the Citizenship under CAA

Thakur, whose ancestors came from Bangladesh, said “I want to see if I can be deprived of facilities after being applied for citizenship.”

West Bengal minister Chandrima Bhattacharya responded to the union minister saying ‘We are waiting when Shantanu Thakur will apply because as soon as he applies, his ministership goes as he is no longer a citizen of India.’