CAA to be enforced across India within 7 days : Union Minister Shantanu Thakur’s big statement

CAA to be enforced across India: Union Minister Shantanu Thakur, BJP's Lok Sabha MP from Bangaon declared that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA, will be enforced nationwide within the next seven days. Speaking at a public rally in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, on Sunday, Thakur assured the crowd, "With the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, I guarantee that the CAA will be implemented across the country within the next seven days. This assurance extends beyond West Bengal, as the CAA will be implemented in every state of India within a week."

Thakur referenced a similar statement made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the preceding December. Shah had firmly declared that the Citizenship Amendment Act is a legal mandate, and no external influence could impede its implementation.

What is CAA? 

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is a legislative amendment passed by the Indian Parliament in December 2019. The primary objective of the CAA is to grant expedited citizenship to religious minorities facing persecution in three neighboring countries – Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Specifically, the Act provides a pathway to Indian citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians who entered India prior to December 31, 2014.

Critics argue that the CAA is discriminatory as it excludes Muslims from the list of eligible religious communities and goes against the secular principles enshrined in the Indian Constitution. They express concerns that the Act, when coupled with the National Register of Citizens (NRC), could potentially marginalize and render stateless a significant number of Muslims in India.

Supporters, on the other hand, assert that the CAA is a humanitarian effort aimed at providing refuge to persecuted religious minorities in the specified countries. They argue that it does not impact the citizenship status of Indian Muslims and is in line with India's historical tradition of sheltering those fleeing religious persecution.

The CAA has sparked widespread debates and protests, with opinions divided on its implications for India's secular fabric and the rights of religious minorities.