The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was put into effect by the Centre on Monday, five years following its passage in Parliament. This notification precedes the awaited announcement of dates for the Lok Sabha elections by the Election Commission of India.
To facilitate the application process, an online submission mode has been established, with a dedicated web portal provided for this purpose.
Last month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reiterated that the implementation of the CAA would precede the Lok Sabha elections this year, following the issuance of relevant rules.
Since its enactment on December 11, 2019, the CAA has been the focal point of extensive debates and widespread protests across the nation.
The CAA introduces amendments to the Citizenship Act of 1955, offering an expedited route to Indian citizenship for migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian communities. This provision applies to individuals who entered India on or before December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in their home countries.
Significant protests, including sit-ins at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh and protest assemblies in Guwahati, Assam, characterized the response to the CAA. However, these demonstrations waned amid the COVID-induced restrictions and lockdown measures.
Following the government's notification, the Delhi Police has intensified security measures in and around the Shaheen Bagh vicinity, which was the epicenter of previous anti-CAA protests.
Meanwhile, the timing of the government's notification has raised concerns, with the Congress questioning its intent to influence the elections.
Congress's Communications in charge, Jairam Ramesh, criticized the delay in notifying the rules for the CAA, highlighting the government's repeated extensions in this regard. Ramesh suggested that the timing, just before the elections, appears orchestrated to polarize voters, especially in West Bengal and Assam. Additionally, he speculated that it might serve as an attempt to divert attention following the Supreme Court's scrutiny of the Electoral Bonds Scandal.
