NEW DELHI: Unnerved by the large-scale protests across the country against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the government is delaying the process of framing the rules for implementing the new law and promising to consult all stakeholders for a pan-India National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs reviewed the security situation arising out of Thursday’s protests and violence.
MHA sources said the government was treading cautiously with the rules, which they plan to frame only after peace is restored.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy appealed for peace while accusing the Opposition of fuelling protests.
“The rules of the CAA are yet to be issued but rumours and misinformation is being spread about CAA. Some are linking the Act to religion and mobilising people for protests. Political parties should not do politics at the cost of violence,” he urged.
Reddy also sought to allay fears on the NRC, saying the process has not been notified.
He rejected criticism that the government’s primary intention behind giving citizenship to undocumented Hindus from three neighbouring Islamic countries was to build the ground for going after Muslim migrants under the NRC.
“We have nothing on our agenda to send anyone to detention camps or deport them. Parties should not provoke people in the name of religion... The priority is to restore law and order and bust myths on the CAA. Once calm prevails, we will consult all stakeholders for NRC,” he said.