Thakurnagar (West Bengal): In a message meant to please the Matua community ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday that the process of granting citizenship to refugees under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) 2019 will be started after COVID-19 vaccination is completed in India.
Addressing a rally here on Thursday, Shah said that implementation of CAA – which was passed by Parliament in December 2019 – had to be put on hold due to outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
“Mamata didi (Banerjee) said we made a false promise. She started opposing the CAA and saying she will never allow it. The BJP always fulfils the promises it makes. We have brought this law and refugees will get citizenship,” Shah said.
“As soon as the COVID-19 vaccination process ends, the process of granting citizenship under CAA will begin,” he made it clear.
The Home minister claimed that Mamata won’t be in a position to oppose implementation of CAA as she will no longer be chief minister of West Bengal after the results of elections are announced around May.
There has been widespread opposition to the CAA, led by other political parties.
Shah reiterated that the Opposition has been misleading the public about CAA, and assured that implementation of the act won’t impact citizenship status of Indian minorities.
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