Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be implemented once the COVID-19 situation gets over.
Amit Shah, in an interview with a private news channel said that the implementation of CAA is linked to the COVID-19 situation.
The home minister claimed that while the implementation has not been done yet, there is no question of going back on it.
The Citizenship Amendment Act 2019, or the CAA facilitates granting of Indian citizenship to persecuted six religious minorities of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
The act was passed by Parliament on December 11, 2019.
The law related to it is yet to be implemented as rules under the CAA are yet to be framed.
Speaking about its implementation, Shah said that as long as the country is not free from COVID-19, CAA cannot be a priority.
He added that the country has witnessed three waves and things are getting better as the third wave is receding.
The CAA once implemented will grant Indian citizenship to “persecuted” minorities like Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
The people belonging to these communities will be treated as Indian citizens only if they have come to the country before December 31, 2014, and after facing religious persecutions in their home country.
