Tamil Superstar and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Thalapathy Vijay on Monday lashed out at the Narendra Modi-led Central government after it implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.The Centre implemented the CAA by notifying the rules four years after the contentious law was passed by Parliament to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014. With this, the Centre will now start granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from the three countries.
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“It is not acceptable to implement any law like the Indian Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 (CAA) in an environment where all citizens of the country live with social harmony,” a rough translation of his statement, which was released in Tamil, said. Thalapathy Vijay also requested the Tamil Nadu government to ensure that the law does not get implemented in the southern state."The leaders should ensure that this law does not get implemented in Tamil Nadu," the statement said. In addition to Vijay, other Opposition leaders have also slammed the Centre for notifying the rules for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, alleging the BJP was trying to divide society and polarise the atmosphere ahead of general elections. Earlier on Monday, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking to “salvage his sinking ship” by notifying the rules for the CAA ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in an attempt to gain political mileage.
The Union Home Ministry officially notified the rules for the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on Monday, a move anticipated ahead of the impending Lok Sabha election schedule announcement. The rules, formulated by the Narendra Modi government and passed by Parliament in 2019, aim to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014. Eligible communities include Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians. The rules also state that the applicants will have to provide an eligibility certificate issued by a locally reputed community institution confirming that he/she belongs to "Hindu/ Sikh/ Buddhist/ Jain/ Parsi/ Christian community and continues to be a member of the above mentioned community. The applicants will also have to give a declaration that they "irrevocably" renounce the existing citizenship and that they want to make "India as permanent home", according to the rules.