Citizenship Amendment Act likely to come into force from January 2021: Kailash Vijayvargiya

Calcutta, Ta. Sunday, December 6, 2020

With elections looming in West Bengal, the BJP has recalled the CAA issue. BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya said that the Narendra Modi government is likely to grant citizenship to refugees from Bangladesh and Pakistan from January 2021.

"The CAA has passed to grant citizenship to refugees coming to our country from neighboring countries," Vijayvargiya told reporters on the sidelines of the North 24 Parganas Party's R Noy Injustice (No More Injustice) campaign. He said the BJP wanted to grant citizenship to a large number of refugees in West Bengal.

BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya has accused the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government of showing no sympathy for the refugees. Reacting to Vijayvargiya's statement, senior TMC leader and Minister of State Firhad Hakim said the BJP was trying to deceive the people of West Bengal.

Firhad Hakeem asked what is the relation of citizenship with BJP? If the mother is not a citizen, how do they vote in the Assembly and Parliamentary elections every year? He accused the BJP of stopping fooling the people of West Bengal.

Originally from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), mothers began migrating from West Bengal in the 1950s, largely because of religion. The Matua community in the state with its population of 3 million people influences the results of about 4 Lok Sabha seats and 30-40 assembly constituencies in Nadia, North as well as South 24 Parganas districts.