The Indian government has declared it intends to enact the controversial citizenship law that has drawn criticism for being anti-Muslim.
Religious minorities that are not Muslims and who come from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan may apply for citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The government claims it will support people who are being persecuted.
Following the law’s passage in 2019, there were widespread protests that resulted in numerous fatalities and arrests. Amit Shah, India’s minister of home affairs, claims that regulations for it have now been developed, despite not having been done so prior to the disturbances.
On Monday, he announced on social media that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “delivered on another commitment and realised the promise of the makers of our constitution to the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians living in those countries”. He also said, “The Modi government today notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024. These rules will now enable minorities persecuted on religious grounds in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to acquire citizenship in our nation.”
In a statement, the Indian Home Ministry announced that qualified individuals can now apply online to become citizens of India. An application site has already been established on the internet.
According to the ministry, “many misconceptions” about the law have been proliferating, and its implementation was postponed due to the Covid-19 outbreak. “This act is only for those who have suffered persecution for years and have no other shelter in the world except India,” said the statement.
One of the main election pledges made by Prime Minister Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the lead-up to this year’s general elections has been the implementation of the CAA. The 64-year-old Indian Citizenship statute, which presently forbids illegal immigrants from obtaining Indian citizenship, is amended by this legislation.
