Days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the process of granting citizenship to refugees under the CAA would start as soon as COVID-19 vaccination concludes, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has reiterated that the Citizenship Amendment Act would not be implemented in the state.
Ahead of the Kerala Assembly polls, Vijayan was addressing a gathering here on Saturday during the inauguration of the Left Democratic Front's northern region yathra led by Communist Party of India (Marxist) acting secretary A Vijayaraghavan in Kasargod.
"Some people have started talking about the CAA. Union Home Minister has said that work to provide citizenship will be undertaken after the vaccination drive will conclude. We have made it clear that CAA will not be implemented in Kerala," he said.
"The Kerala government will not support such distress in the state. We are firm in our stand that we will not implement the CAA in the state," he added.
In West Bengal, Shah, while addressing a public rally, said he had promised that he would come to give a tough answer to those spreading disinformation about the CAA."As soon as vaccination drive will conclude and we become Corona-free, the work of providing citizenship will be undertaken. This is a law formed by the Parliament and she will not be able to stop it, more so because she will be voted out of power in the upcoming elections," he had said.
On February 10, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had stated in Rajya Sabha that the rules under the CAA, 2019 are under preparation and the Act has already come into force with effect from October 1, 2020.
The Ministry had made the statement in response to Congress MP Digvijaya Singh's question on whether it has drafted the rules to be notified under the CAA. "If yes, then what are details including the date by which the rules are expected to be notified. If not, then what are the reasons?" he had questioned.
Responding to his query, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai had said that the Act has been notified on December 12, 2019.
"It has come into force with effect from October 1, 2020. The rules under the Act are under preparation. The committee on Subordinate Legislation, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have granted an extension of time up to April 9 and July 9 respectively to frame these rules," Rai had added.
The CAA was passed by the parliament in December 2019. The law grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian refugees from Afghstan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan and came to India before 2015.
( With inputs from ANI )
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