Kolkata: Union minister Shantanu Thakur on Monday claimed that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA will be implemented across the country within a week. Ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, on the other hand, dismissed the claim as a "poll rhetoric", while vowing to prevent CAA implementation in the state.
Thakur, the BJP MP from Bongaon Lok Sabha seat, which has a substantial population of Matua community, outlined plans for swift implementation of the contentious legislation within seven days. The CAA, enacted by the BJP-led government at the Centre in 2019, seeks to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim immigrants, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians, from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who entered India before December 31, 2014.
Addressing a public rally at Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas district on Sunday evening, Thakur, also the Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, said, "Ram Mandir has been inaugurated. Within the next one week, CAA will be implemented not only in West Bengal but also across the country." He emphasised the imperative of implementing the CAA to safeguard future generations. Speaking to reporters in Kolkata on Monday, Thakur, also a prominent Matua community leader, reiterated, "I stand by what I stated yesterday. The CAA will be implemented within seven days. This is my guarantee."
