Bengal BJP cell blames Centre for failing to frame CAA rules

Even as several BJP legislators belonging to the Matua sect, including party MP and Union Minister of State for Shipping Shantanu Thakur are voicing their displeasure over the non-inclusion of any sect member in the recently constituted Bengal BJP organizational hierarchy as well as district committees, a state party unit has come down heavily on the Centre for not notifying the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 rules.

Kolkata: Even as several BJP legislators belonging to the Matua sect, including party MP and Union Minister of State for Shipping Shantanu Thakur are voicing their displeasure over the non-inclusion of any sect member in the recently constituted Bengal BJP organizational hierarchy as well as district committees, a state party unit has come down heavily on the Centre for not notifying the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 rules. The move has put the party in a spot, which is already trying hard to cope with multi-corner dissidence after the recent rejig of the party functionaries in Bengal.

In a statement issued by the convenor of state BJP Refugee Cell Mohit Roy and joint convenor Sujit Sikdar, they said, “The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was passed on December 11, 2019. Thereafter, the central government has failed to frame the rules of the Act even after three extensions of deadlines. In the last state Assembly elections, several senior leaders of the party's central as well as the state leadership had repeatedly assured that the CAA would be implemented and that was one of the prime reasons that the refugee population had extended their support to the party. The failure of implementing the Act is increasing the averseness of the people towards the leadership.”

Incidentally, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) failed to come up with the rules to implement the CAA till January 9, which was the last date of the extended deadline it had sought from two parliamentary committees of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

However, Speaking to ETV Bharat earlier Balashowry Vallabbhaneni, chairperson of the Subordinate Legislation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee in the Lok Sabha said that usually, the MHA sends communication for extending the timelines for framing rules, adding that it may communicate with his office.

Pratap Singh Bajwa, chairperson of the Subordinate Legislation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee in the Rajya Sabha, said that he was not aware whether any communication was made by MHA.

According to the Manual on Parliamentary Work, "in the case, ministries/departments are not able to frame rules within the prescribed period of six months after the legislation is passed they should seek an extension of time from the Committee on Subordinate Legislation stating reasons for such extension which can not be more than for a period of three months at a time."

Both Mohit and Sujit are apprehensive about the fact that the committee on subordinate legislation in the two Houses of Parliament would grant any further extension to the MHA. They say, many persons who had pinned their hopes on the CAA, mostly along the Indo-Bangla border districts of Bengal, are fast losing their hopes.

The MHA had earlier sought time from the committees till April 9, 2021 and then again till July 9, 2021 to frame the rules that would govern the CAA.

According to functionaries of the Bengal BJP Refugee Cell, people are not relying on the leadership and their promises, which is reflected in the election results. It is evident from the results of last year's Assembly elections, then again in the bye-elections to seven Assembly constituencies in two phases and finally in the recently concluded Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections. BJP has failed to cut the ice in any of these polls and the state party leadership does not have any high hopes for the upcoming civic polls in the districts, both in North and in South Bengal.