Union Minister Shantanu Thakur Announces Nationwide Rollout of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) Within a Week.
Kolakata : A strong statement which has reverberated across political circles, Union Minister Shantanu Thakur has promised to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) all over India within the next seven days. At a public rally held in South 24 Parganas of West Bengal, Thakur, an important figure within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Member of Parliament from Bongaon, repeated his intent to implement the controversial law at earliest.
The CAA, brought into force by the BJP-led government in 2019 is based on providing Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from neighboring countries, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists , Parsis and Christians who were forced to flee their home countries due to religious persecution in Bangladesh
Thakur’s words have a lot of weight, even more in West Bengal, where the Matua community to which he belongs is numerous. The Matua community originates from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), and over the years they have migrated to West Bengal because of religious persecution.
VIDEO | "Ram Mandir has been inaugurated (in Ayodhya), and within the next seven days, the CAA - Citizenship (Amendment) Act - will be implemented across the country. This is my guarantee. Not just in West Bengal, the CAA would be implemented in every state of India within a… pic.twitter.com/f5Ergu5TG3
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 29, 2024
This disclosure by Shantanu Thakur is timely, with Lok Sabha polls round the corner. The introduction of the CAA would also affect electoral scenarios especially in states such as West Bengal where it is a major issue not only for certain communities but also various parties.
But Shantanu Thakur’s statement has been met with a sharp rebuke by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who is vociferously against CAA. The TMC has continually branded the bill as ‘divisive’ and accused the BJP of using citizenship issue for political benefits.
West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee has repeatedly said that CAA will never be implemented in West Bengal. She contends that the law weakens the secular ideals embodied in the Indian Constitution and against Muslim Community.
In spite of the polarizing nature of CAA, BJP is unwavering in enforcing it all over the country. Similar sentiments have also been expressed by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah who has asserted that the CAA will be implemented, and blamed opponents of spreading misinformation.
As the country prepares for possible implementation of the CAA, discussions surrounding its connotations, legal intricacies and socio-political ramifications will also be likely to pick up pace. The coming weeks will be characterized by increased political rhetoric, public debate and judicial considerations as the country struggles to unravel this controversial statute.
As all these shifts take place, the very fate of Citizenship Amendment Act is in doubt among a political drama, anecdotes apart and complicated narratives. With the countdown on for its nationwide implementation, citizens of India now wait with bated breath as a new chapter will soon be opened in their socio-political trajectories.
