Union Minister Shantanu Thakur Gives "Guarantee" To Implement CAA Across India In A Week, Attacks Mamata Banerjee

Building upon the inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Union Minister Shantanu Thakur gave a guarantee on Sunday (29 January) that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be implemented across India in a week.

Speaking at a public rally in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas, he said, "Not just in West Bengal, the CAA would be implemented in every state of India within a week" and attacked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The CAA grants Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants -- Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians -- from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who had come to India till 31 December 2014.

The BJP MP's statement comes after a senior government functionary had said that CAA rules will be notified "much before" the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections.

The CAA became controversial because of baseless claims that Muslims will lose their citizenship and massive protests followed in some parts of the country after it was passed by Parliament in December 2019.

Last month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that no one can stop the implementation of the CAA as it is the law of the land. He also accused West Bengal CM Banerjee of misleading people about the issue.

The commitment to enforce the contentious CAA was a significant campaign promise of the BJP during the previous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The BJP leaders reportedly believe it played a feasible role in the BJP's ascendency in Bengal.