Government Set To Roll Out Citizenship Amendment Act Rules Before Elections: Report

The central government is expected to announce the rules for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) before the Model Code of Conduct is enforced ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, according to a report from India Today.

Earlier this month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the CAA, enacted in 2019, would be put into effect before the Lok Sabha elections this year, following the issuance of the necessary rules.

"Our Muslim brothers are being misled and instigated (against the CAA). The CAA is only meant to give citizenship to those who came to India after facing persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. It is not for snatching anyone's Indian citizenship," Amit Shah had said.

The CAA, passed by Parliament on 11 December 2019, has been a topic of heated debate and widespread protests across India.

The CAA amends the Citizenship Act of 1955 to provide an expedited pathway to Indian citizenship for migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian communities, who entered India on or before 31 December 2014, due to facing religious persecution in their home countries.

Protests took place at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh and in Guwahati, Assam. However, all the protests subsided during the Covid-induced restrictions and lockdowns.

Despite being passed in Parliament four years ago, the CAA has not been implemented as the rules and processes are yet to be finalised.

Also read - 'CAA Is Law Of The Land And No One Can Stop Its Implementation': Home Minister Amit Shah In West Bengal