‘CAA will be implemented the moment Covid ends’: Amit Shah in Bengal’s Siliguri

We will implement Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) on ground the moment Covid-19 wave ends, Union Home minister Amit Shah said on Thursday in West Bengal's Siliguri city.

“Mamata Didi wants infiltration...CAA was, is and will be a reality,” Shah said.

The CAA, which was enacted in 2019 but is yet to be implemented, aims to grant citizenship to those members of the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who faced persecution in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The CAA was notified on December 12, 2019 and came into force on January 10, 2020. It aims to facilitate grant of citizenship to migrants belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, who had come to India on or before December 31, 2014.

Shah will travel to seven states in the next three weeks as part of a mega cross-country tour, during which he will attend public, political and official events.

Shah, who is currently in West Bengal for a two-day visit, will be travelling to Assam, Telangana, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

He will be visiting Assam on May 9 and 10, during which he will attend several functions, including one to mark the first anniversary of the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government in the state, the officials said.

On May 14, the Union home minister will tour Telangana, where he will address a public meeting in Ranga Reddy district.

The meeting will mark the conclusion of the second leg of state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar's 'Praja Sangrama Yatra'.

During his visit to Kerala on May 15, Shah is expected to attend meetings of the BJP and also meet with party leaders, apparently in an effort to galvanise the party cadre for the 2024 general elections.

On May 20, Shah will undertake a day-long visit to Uttarakhand, where he will attend both official and party functions, and interact with BJP workers.

He will travel to Arunachal Pradesh for two days (May 21-22) to attend a number of official events, the officials said.

On May 27, Shah will tour Maharashtra. He will be visiting Gujarat during May 28-29.

In both the states, the Union home minister will attend a number of official and party functions.