Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday 11th February said that the process of granting Indian citizenship to refugees under the controversial CAA, including the Matua community of West Bengal will commence once the procedure of the COVID-19 vaccination will end.
Blaming the opposition parties for deceiving minors about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, he said its implementation will not impact the citizenship status of Indian minorities.
Shah said the Modi government had in 2018 promised it will bring in new citizenship law and kept it when the BJP was voted to power in 2019.
He said, after the country was struck by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, its implementation had to be halted.
“Mamata didi said we made a false promise. She started opposing the CAA and saying she will never allow it. The BJP always fulfil the promises it makes. We have brought this law and refugees will get citizenship. As soon as the COVID-19 vaccination process ends the process of granting citizenship under CAA will begin,” Shah said in a statement while speaking to a rally in the bastion of the Matua community.
Matuas have their origin in East Pakistan and are considered to be weaker section of Hindus who migrated to India during the partition and after Bangladesh was formed. Many of them have been given Indian citizenship but a large portion of the population was not.
Amit Shah said that Banerjee will not be in a position to rival the implementation of the CAA as her role as the chief minister will be most likely be terminated after the assembly polls in April-May this year.
