4 years after the bill was passed, the Citizenship Act CAA becomes a reality

The government on Monday night issued a notification on the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which will be implemented weeks ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The CAA is the first to use religion as a test for Indian citizenship and has sparked fears it could be used to target religious minorities. The bill was approved by parliament in December 2019 amid violent nationwide protests that left more than 100 people dead and fierce resistance from activists and opposition politicians.

Now that the notification has been issued, the central government can grant citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants (from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan) who came to India before December 31, 2014.

A Home Office spokesman said eligible individuals can submit applications in a “fully online mode”. No additional documents will be asked from applicants, an official said.

Applications will be submitted entirely online, with a portal available. (2/2)@HMOIndia@PIB_INDIA@DDNewslive@airnewsalerts

— Home Office Spokesperson (@PIBHomeAffairs) March 11, 2024

The implementation of CAA was a major campaign platform of the BJP ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The notification comes less than a month after Home Minister Amit Shah called the CAA a “state act” and said “the notification will definitely be received. The CAA will come into effect before the elections…” .

The home minister – who leads the government on the issue in both houses of parliament – also played down concerns that the CAA and NRC (National Register of Citizens) will be used to target Muslims.

He accused Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee – who has long been one of the CAA’s fiercest and most outspoken critics – of deliberately misleading the people of the state on the topic. Bengal has 42 Lok Sabha seats and is emerging as a key battleground in the BJP’s target of 370 seats.

Ms Banerjee, meanwhile, launched an almost immediate lash out, telling reporters at a hastily convened news conference that her government would stand firm against “any discrimination (against) people”.

“If there is any discrimination, we will not accept it. Be it religion, caste or language. They will not be able to grant citizenship to anyone in two days. It is just lollipops and showing off,” she declared.

Read | Mamata Banerjee sounds warning, notifies Citizenship Act CAA

Slamming the BJP, she said: “Implementing the bill two to three days before elections are announced after multiple delays over four years shows that it is for political reasons.”

The Trinamool boss also pointed out that the CAA, NRC and NPR (National Population Register) were sensitive topics in Bengal and the Northeast and she did not want riots ahead of the elections.

It is worth noting that parts of the Northeast are no longer subject to the CAA.

NDTV Explained | Five key points of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act

She also accused the BJP of raising the CAA issue for votes. “With elections approaching, the BJP is once again courting CAA for political gain. But I will not allow this as long as I am alive…”.

In the northeast, violent clashes broke out between anti-CAA protesters and police and the Assam Students Union, which led protests in the state four years ago, has called for renewed agitation.

Ms Banerjee is not the only opposition politician to oppose the CAA.

Stalin, the leader of Bengal and Tamil Nadu, also emphasized this point. The DMK boss accused the BJP government of being “against communal harmony” and vowed that he would not implement the law.

Other states – like Kerala and Punjab – as well as states then ruled by the Congress (now ruled by the BJP) – like Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh – also opposed the CAA and passed resolutions . In fact, the Bengal and Kerala governments have also stopped all NPR (National Population Register) and NRC work.

In Telangana, the then-ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi led by former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao also passed a bill targeting the The trio’s resolution and urged the government to “remove all references to any religion or any foreign country” came in response to fears expressed by hundreds of thousands across the country.

The Madhya Pradesh government, which was also ruled by the Congress party at the time, also passed a resolution and notably, several BJP leaders and MPs in the state also criticized the law.

The government says the Citizenship Amendment Bill will help minorities in predominantly Muslim countries obtain citizenship if they flee religious persecution. However, critics say it is aimed at discriminating against Muslims and violates the secular principles of the constitution.

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