NEW DELHI: Home Secretary Amit Shah has said rulemaking for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) will resume shortly after the pandemic situation improves.
“The CAA rules have not yet been framed as such a massive process could not be carried out due to the crown. As soon as the (Covid) vaccination begins and the crown cycle is broken, we will consider it,” he said. . Shah was addressing the media in Bolpur, West Bengal, on the second day of his visit to the state.
Shah also attacked the Mamata Banerjee government for infiltrating Bangladesh. “The TMC can never stop the infiltration as it believes in the politics of appeasement. Only the BJP can stop it,” he said.
Just a few days ago, BJP leader Kailash Vijayvarygya had said that, unlike in Assam, there will be no NRC (National Register of Citizens) exercises in Bengal, but the Center will move to implement CAA in the state. The process could start as early as January or February next year, he said.
Bengal’s ruler Trinamool has been firm in his opposition to the CAA. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has made it clear that CAA will not be implemented in the state.
Assembly elections must be held in the state from April to May of next year.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act contains provisions to grant Indian citizenship to refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, or Christians, and arrived in India before the end of December 2014.
(With inputs from agencies)
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