The Government implemented the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA on Monday, four years after the controversial law was passed. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees who had sought shelter in India before December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in three neighbouring countries — Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
The Government has now spelt out the “key issues” that the implementation of CAA might be able to solve.
The CAA would help to remove “legal barriers to rehabilitation and citizenship” and “give a dignified life to refugees who have suffered for decades”, the government sources explained.
They asserted that citizenship rights will protect the cultural, linguistic, and social identity of the refugees while ensuring economic, commercial, free movement, and property purchase rights.
Amid sharp criticism from the opposition rank, the Centre categorically said that CAA “will not take away citizenship of any Indian citizen, irrespective of religion”.
“This Act is only for those who have suffered persecution for years and have no other shelter in the world except India,” they said.
The Congress and other Opposition parties have slammed the move, alleging the new law that was implemented just days before the announcement of the election schedule was designed to polarise the Lok Sabha polls, especially in West Bengal and Assam.
The Constitution of India grants the government the right to provide citizenship from a humanitarian perspective to refugees who faced religious persecution in their countries.
The Government also clarified that the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act was delayed due to the Covid pandemic.
In its 2019 manifesto, the ruling BJP said it was committed to enacting the Citizenship Amendment Bill for the protection of persecuted religious minorities from neighbouring countries.
