Indian Government Set to Implement CAA Rules Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha Elections Despite Ongoing Protests

Indian Government Set to Implement CAA Rules Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha Elections Despite Ongoing Protests

VoM News Desk | January 3, 2024 | 11:59 AM IST | Breaking News | Follow on Google News

Indian Government Set to Implement CAA Rules Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha Elections Despite Ongoing Protests/Mint

Indian Government Set to Implement CAA Rules Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha Elections Despite Ongoing Protests

Amidst widespread protests across the country, a senior government official revealed to news agency PTI on Tuesday that the government is poised to enact the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rules well before the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Facing criticism for the delayed notification of CAA rules, which grant Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, the government has affirmed its readiness to initiate the process.

“We are on the verge of issuing the rules for the CAA. Once the rules are issued, the law can be put into action, and eligible individuals can obtain Indian citizenship,” stated the government official.

The official also emphasized that the rules are prepared, an online portal is established, and the entire process will be conducted online. Applicants will need to declare the year of their entry into India without travel documents, without the necessity of submitting any additional documents.

The Citizenship Amendment Act, passed in December 2019, triggered nationwide protests due to objections regarding the exclusion of persecuted Muslim migrants from its provisions. Critics deemed the bill discriminatory and an assault on India’s secular principles.

The act expedites the citizenship process for persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians from specified neighboring countries who arrived in India until December 31, 2014. However, protesters argued that the act overlooks the persecution faced by Muslim minorities such as Ahmadiyyas in Pakistan and Hazaras in Afghanistan.

The delay in notifying the CAA rules drew criticism, particularly from supporters of the act who questioned the government’s postponement, hampering persecuted migrants’ opportunities to obtain Indian citizenship. Despite the delayed rules, the BJP-led Union Government, notably Home Minister Amit Shah, reiterated the inevitability of implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act.

VoM News Desk

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