Over the past few days Union Minister of State for Shipping, Santanu Thakur has said that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) would be implemented in the country within a week. Mr. Santanu said this while addressing a rally at South 24 Paraganas district on January 28. He is also BJP MP from Bongaon.
On January 29 while speaking to media persons the MP again reiterated, “The CAA will be implemented very soon. It will be implemented within seven days. This is my guarantee”.
Earlier in November 2023 Union Minister of State (MOS) for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra had said that CAA rules will be framed by March 2024. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 was passed by the Parliament in December 2019 ensures that members of the community have become citizens.
The remarks made by the BJP MP assume significance ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The delay of framing rules for the CAA had irked a section of Matuas including even the MLAs from the community representing the BJP. After the 2019 polls, a number of BJP leaders have been trying to allay the fears of Matuas regarding delay in the implementation of CAA. In 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) was granted an extension for the seventh time to frame rules for the CAA.
Mr. Thakur, a descendent of the founders of the Matua sect was elected in 2019 from Bongaon Lok Sabha seat on the promise of implementation of CAA. Matuas, constitute a large chunk of the state’s Scheduled Caste population, had been migrating to West Bengal since the 1950s, primarily due to religious persecution in erstwhile East Pakistan which later became Bangladesh. The Matua community is believed to benefit the most from the implementation of the CAA.
The remarks by the BJP MP evoked strong response from the political circles. During the day Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee advised locals in Cooch Behar, particularly Rajbanshis, to ensure that their names are on the voters’ list to “protect themselves” from the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA. Ms. Banerjee has maintained that all the people in the State are citizens and there was no need for implementation of CAA in the State.
“Our party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have clearly said that CAA won’t be implemented in West Bengal. The BJP leaders are attempting political gimmickry by making such false promises before the Lok Sabha elections,” Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.
