CAA: The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was passed by the Parliament in December 2019.
On Saturday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be formally notified and enforced prior to the forthcoming Lok Sabha election. Describing it as legislation representing the nation’s interests, Shah emphasized that the primary purpose of the act is to grant citizenship rather than revoke it from anyone.
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is a legislation of our nation, and it will be officially announced prior to the elections. There should be absolute clarity on this matter. Unfortunately, there is unwarranted agitation among certain sections, particularly our Muslim community. However, it’s crucial to understand that the CAA does not strip anyone of their citizenship, as there’s no provision for it within the Act. Rather, it aims to grant citizenship to refugees who have faced persecution in Bangladesh and Pakistan,” Shah articulated during his address at the ET Now-Global Business Summit in Delhi.
During the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has made the promise to execute the CAA, which was passed by the Parliament on December 11, 2019, a major electoral agenda item. Shah also accused the former Congress government of “backtracking” on its vow to implement the CAA in the country.
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was a commitment made by the Congress government. During the partition of the country and the subsequent persecution faced by minorities in those countries, the Congress assured refugees that they were welcome in India and would be granted Indian citizenship. However, they are now retracting from that assurance, Shah stated.
The Citizenship Amendment Act: What is it?
The Citizenship Amendment Act, often referred to as the CAA was introduced by the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Its primary objective was to grant Indian nationality to persecuted migrants from non-Muslim communities, such as Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians, who had migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and arrived in India by December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution or the fear thereof. However, it does not extend this provision to Muslims or other communities who fled similar circumstances in the same or neighboring regions. Consequently, this sparked widespread protests across the country.
CAA Protests
Protests initially erupted in Assam on December 4, 2019, following the introduction of the CAA in Parliament. The demonstrations gained momentum nationwide after the Act was passed on December 11, 2019, with certain regions experiencing outbreaks of violence. Protesters denounced the CAA as discriminatory and as an assault on India’s secular values. Reports indicate that several individuals lost their lives either during the protests or as a result of police intervention, while thousands of demonstrators were detained.
Ratnavali