In a significant development, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on Wednesday the issuance of citizenship certificates to 14 individuals under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). The issuance marked the first set of citizenship certificates since the notification of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah revealed that 300 individuals are currently granted citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Delhi alone. Shah reiterated that CAA is a law of the land, reaffirming the government’s commitment to its implementation.
The long-awaited rules governing implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), enacted in December 2019, have finally been issued.
These rules paved the way for granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. The eligible groups include Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians.
Despite receiving presidential assent shortly after enactment, the rules were only issued on March 11 of this year, marking a significant delay of over four years.
Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla personally presented the citizenship certificates to select applicants during a ceremony held in New Delhi. The event saw the participation of senior government officials, including the Secretary Posts, Director (IB), and Registrar General of India.
“In pursuance of these rules, applications have been received from persons belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who have entered into India up to 31.12.2014 on account of persecution on grounds of religion or fear of such persecution,” a Union Home Ministry statement said.
The ruling BJP has made CAA a major poll issue with the eastern state at the core of BJP’s CAA push. The government had notified rules to implement the long-awaited Citizenship Amendment Act 2019, part of the saffron family’s poll promise in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2021 West Bengal polls, a day after the ruling TMC in Bengal declared all its 42 Lok Sabha candidates.
In Bengal, BJP seeks to guarantee citizenship to nearly 30 lakh-strong Matuas who hold sway in about five Lok Sabha segments and over 50 Assembly seats across North and South 24 Parganas and Nadia districts.
