'CAA' likely to be implemented before January 2021, says BJP National General Secretary

KOLKATA: In a sensational development, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kailash Vijayvargiya has claimed that the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (or 'CAA') shall be implemented in January of 2021. The Act seeks to grant Indian citizenship rights to "persecuted minorities" from the Muslim-majority countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

The senior leader stated that the Centre and the BJP are keen to grant citizenship to the large refugee population in West Bengal. The BJP national general secretary accused the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government of not being sympathetic to the cause of the refugees.

"Our (central) government has passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) with an honest intention to grant citizenship to the persecuted refugees who have come to our country from the neighbouring nations. But there have been a few petitions against the CAA in the court," Vijayvargiya, who is the BJP in-charge of West Bengal, stated before Assembly Polls are held in the state.

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He also stated that a decision would be taken once the pandemic situation normalizes. He also added that the implementation of the 'CAA' would be one of the priorities before the polls are held in West Bengal.

It needs mention here that the Matua Community of West Bengal has voiced its anger and resentment over the delay in the implementation of the 'CAA.' Matuas had been migrating to West Bengal since the 1950s, mostly due to religious persecution.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal has turned down heavily on the BJP leader and accused him of trying to "fool" people. Responding to Vijayvargiya's comment, senior TMC leader and state minister Firhad Hakim said that the BJP is trying to fool the people of West Bengal.

The saffron party, which had a limited presence in politically polarised Bengal for decades, emerged as the main rival of the TMC by winning 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 General Elections.

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