KOLKATA: Junior Union minister
Shantanu Thakur on Saturday amended a seven-day deadline he had set for implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act pending since 2019 and said the process of its execution would begin within a week.
“Earlier, I had spoken about CAA implementation in a week. Now I am saying that the process will be completed within a week and the implementation will take place soon,” Thakur said.
The junior Union shipping minister trod with caution after his earlier announcement — at a BJP gathering at Kakdwip on Jan 29 — created great expectations among refugees, particularly Matuas, who have been pressing for implementation of CAA. Thakur’s caution came after Bengal CM
Mamata Banerjee made it clear on Friday that her govt would not allow CAA or NRC in Bengal.
“CAA was passed in Parliament long ago. TMC vehemently opposed its implementation, after which the issue took backstage in Bengal,” Thakur said.
He reiterated that no force on earth could stop CAA from being enforced in the country, including in Bengal. “As a political party, they (TMC) can say they would not accept it. It is their choice. But they can’t go on the rampage on govt property. It is part of their political propaganda,” Thakur said.
Earlier, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari had said that CAA would be implemented by Feb 29. Adhikari had clarified that the CAA portal for making applications for citizenship for specified categories would be active by Feb and then it would be implemented. He had added that the purpose of CAA was to give citizenship, not take it away.
Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh said that BSF under
Amit Shah was responsible for infiltration from neighbouring countries. Ghosh said BJP was trying to use CAA to divide people on religious lines.
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