Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared on Saturday that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), passed by Parliament in December 2019, will be officially notified and put into effect before the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. Speaking at the ET Now-Global Business summit in the national capital, Shah emphasized the certainty of the CAA’s implementation, stating, “CAA is an Act of the country, it will be definitely be notified. It will be notified before the polls. CAA will be implemented by the polls, and there should be no confusion around it.”
Shah criticized the Congress party for backtracking on its promise regarding the CAA, highlighting that the Act aims to fulfill the commitment made to persecuted minorities in neighboring countries. He clarified that the CAA is designed to grant citizenship, not strip anyone of it. Shah reassured that there are no provisions within the Act to revoke citizenship and reiterated that the CAA is intended to provide refuge to persecuted individuals from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
The CAA, introduced by the Narendra Modi government, seeks to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from specified religious communities who arrived in India before December 31, 2014. Its passage in December 2019 and subsequent presidential assent triggered widespread protests across the country.
Regarding the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Shah characterized the contest as a battle between corruption and development. He emphasized that the election transcends a mere contest between political alliances, highlighting the fundamental issues of governance, corruption, and national security. Shah underscored the importance of safeguarding national interests and upholding a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption and threats to national security.