Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she would oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) if it discriminates against groups of people. Stating that the CAA and the NRC are sensitive to West Bengal and the Northeast, Banerjee said she does not want unrest before the Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a hurriedly called press conference at the state secretariat, Banerjee said, "There are speculations that CAA ruled will be notified. Let me be very clear that we will oppose anything that discriminates people." "Let them bring out the rules, then we will speak on the issue after going through the rules," she said.
Just after Mamata's statement, the Union Home Ministry notified rules for implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on Monday, days ahead of the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections schedule. Home Minister Amit Shah, on multiple occasions, said that CAA rules would be notified ahead of the Lok Sabha elections to be held in April-May.
The CAA rules, introduced by the Narendra Modi government and passed by Parliament in 2019, aim to confer Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants - including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians - who migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and arrived in India before December 31, 2014.
