Citizenship Amendment Act implemented across India | Here’s what it means – YouTube
On Monday, the Government put into effect the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA, four years after its controversial enactment. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, aims to confer Indian citizenship upon refugees who sought refuge in India prior to December 31, 2014, owing to religious persecution in three neighboring nations — Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. The administration has now outlined the “possible resolutions” that the enforcement of CAA could potentially address.
According to sources, CAA aims to remove “legal barriers to resettlement and citizenship” and “provide a dignified existence to refugees who have endured decades of hardship”, explained government insiders.
They emphasized that citizenship entitlements would safeguard the cultural, linguistic, and social heritage of the refugees while ensuring rights to economic participation, unrestricted movement, and property ownership.
Despite vehement criticism from opposition quarters, the Center explicitly stated that CAA “will not strip any Indian citizen of their citizenship, regardless of their religion”.
“This legislation is solely for those who have endured prolonged persecution and have no sanctuary other than India,” they emphasized.
The Congress and other Opposition parties have decried the move, alleging that the new law, implemented shortly before the announcement of the election schedule, was designed to polarize the Lok Sabha elections, particularly in West Bengal and Assam.
As per the Constitution of India, the government is empowered to extend citizenship on humanitarian grounds to refugees who have faced religious persecution in their homelands.
The Government also clarified that the delay in implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act was due to the Covid pandemic.
In its 2019 manifesto, the ruling BJP pledged to enact the Citizenship Amendment Bill to safeguard persecuted religious minorities from neighboring nations.
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