The Citizenship Amendment Bill, referred to as the ‘CAA,’ has been reintroduced into the political arena during the prelude to the Lok Sabha elections under the leadership of Narendra Modi’s BJP government.
The central government, led by Modi, is gearing up to amend the controversial law, possibly to address issues related to illegal immigration and national security. It is noteworthy that before the announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the ‘CAA’ rules will be issued, and amendments to the Citizenship Amendment Act of 2014 may be considered based on the foundation laid during that year.
An official stated that no documents will be requested from the applicants. The entire procedure will be conducted online, and the guidelines and internet connections are set. The year that the candidates entered India without proper documentation must be disclosed.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act seeks to offer Indian citizenship to non-Muslim migrants who have been persecuted and have arrived in India until December 31, 2014, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians. Critics labelled the bill passed by the BJP administration as discriminatory, which sparked intense debate and widespread protests.
Congress leader Surendra Rajput responded to rumours that the Centre intended to notify the CAA rules by saying that the BJP is working on this legislation out of fear of losing the Lok Sabha elections.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared on December 27 that the CAA is the “law of the land” and that nobody could stop its implementation. Shah said that the BJP is committed to implement the CAA during a meeting held behind closed doors with members of the party’s IT and social media departments.
Union Minister Ajay Mishra stated in November that the completion of the CAA’s final draft is expected by March 30, 2024.
The possibility of unveiling the ‘CAA’ rules before the commencement of the parliamentary budget session, starting from February 1, has been revealed. The steps taken by the Modi government leading up to the publication of the rules will be significant for the residents of Assam.
