New Delhi: Moments after the Centre announced to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) rules on Monday, the Opposition slammed the BJP-led Centre.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticized the timing of the notification, labelling it as BJP’s pre-election publicity. She vowed to oppose any rules that infringe on people’s rights.
Banerjee also accused the BJP government of playing “political games” with the timing of the notification of the CAA rules, suggesting that its sudden implementation right before the elections raises suspicions of political motives.
The Congress also criticized the timing of the Narendra Modi-led government’s decision to announce the CAA rules. The party said the move, near the announcement of the Lok Sabha election dates, appears to be intended to influence the polls, particularly in West Bengal and Assam.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh highlighted the delay in notifying the CAA rules, stating that after numerous extensions over four years, the timing just before the elections seems calculated to polarize voters, especially in West Bengal and Assam.
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Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticized the Centre for diverting attention by notifying the CAA rules, calling it a political distraction tactic. He questioned the government’s priorities, especially when citizens are grappling with livelihood challenges.
The CAA aims to grant citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Parsis who arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014, from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
The CAA, passed in December 2019, faced widespread protests across the country, with many opposition parties condemning it as discriminatory. However, the law couldn’t be enforced earlier as the rules had not been notified.
Meanwhile, moments after the Centre announced the implementation of the CAA, a video went viral on social media platforms showcasing the exuberance among Hindu refugees from Pakistan living in Delhi.
The clip shows young men and women, all Hindu refugees from Pakistan, dancing, people raising “Bharat Mata ki Jay” slogans and emotional hugs. Some even had tears in their eyes.
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