NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday announced that all pending applications for citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in the state would be disposed of within the next six months, asserting that the law was enacted to grant citizenship and not to take it away.Speaking at a CAA citizenship certificate distribution programme in New Town, where around 300 members of the Matua community from North 24 Parganas district received citizenship certificates, Adhikari alleged that the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) government had spread misinformation about the law for “political gains”.“The CAA is meant to grant citizenship, not to take away anyone’s citizenship,” Adhikari said, as quoted by news agency PTI.He urged all eligible applicants to come forward and apply under the Act, saying more citizenship certificates would be issued in the coming months.
Nearly 24,000 citizenship certificates issued so far
Presenting the state’s progress in implementing the CAA, Adhikari said 23,956 citizenship certificates had been issued so far, including 5,966 certificates over the past 11 weeks since the BJP government assumed office.According to him, the state has received 2,30,605 applications under the CAA.He said Nadia district has recorded the highest number of beneficiaries with 10,191 citizenship certificates, followed by North 24 Parganas with 8,930 certificates.Adhikari also said that, following discussions with the Union home secretary, the process of delegating legal and administrative powers to district magistrates for the speedy disposal of CAA applications is expected to begin within a month.“Following discussions with the Union home secretary, the process of delegating legal and administrative powers to district magistrates for the speedy disposal of CAA applications is expected to begin within a month,” he said.He noted that district magistrates in Gujarat and Rajasthan already exercise such powers.
‘CAA was never meant to target anyone’
The chief minister reiterated that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act was introduced to grant Indian citizenship to eligible refugees and not to deprive anyone of their rights.The CAA, passed by Parliament in 2019, provides a pathway to Indian citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who fled religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and entered India on or before December 31, 2014.Recalling the BJP’s promise on citizenship, Adhikari said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured members of the Matua community before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections that eligible refugees from Bangladesh would receive Indian citizenship.He said the rules under the Act were eventually notified on March 6, 2024, after implementation was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
TMC accused of spreading confusion over CAA
Targeting the previous TMC government, Adhikari alleged that it deliberately equated the CAA with the National Register of Citizens (NRC), creating confusion among people, particularly Muslims.“The previous government projected the CAA as the NRC and misled the people, particularly the Muslim community. False propaganda was spread claiming that applying under the CAA would result in the loss of jobs, ration benefits or the Lakshmir Bhandar financial assistance scheme,” he alleged.He claimed that government property had been vandalised during protests triggered by such misinformation and said, “Today, the truth has come out, and even MLAs from the opposition have attended this government programme voluntarily.”
Government to assist beneficiaries
Adhikari said the state government would take steps to help eligible CAA beneficiaries who continue to face legal proceedings or remain in jail because of documentation-related issues by facilitating their release on bail.He added that the state police had been instructed to ensure that no eligible applicant faced harassment in matters related to the CAA.The state government will also facilitate the inclusion of beneficiaries’ names in electoral rolls after citizenship is granted and ensure that eligible applicants receive Scheduled Caste certificates in a time-bound manner.One of the beneficiaries, a woman refugee originally from Bagerhat in Bangladesh, thanked the government after receiving her citizenship certificate.“I lived in Bagerhat in Bangladesh and came to India in 2006. I had been living in fear for so many years. I thank the Prime Minister and the chief minister,” she said, as cited by PTI.
Share your thoughts in the comments
Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
Census exercise and refugee distinction
The announcement comes as West Bengal began the self-enumeration phase of the country’s 16th Census.Adhikari had said the Census exercise and illegal immigration were separate issues, while distinguishing between illegal immigrants and refugees covered under the CAA.He had maintained that refugees eligible under the CAA would be protected, while illegal immigrants would not be entitled to government welfare benefits.He also said the Census would help create a permanent database for delivering government welfare schemes more efficiently.
