NEW DELHI: A day after notifying the rules under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday launched a dedicated web portal to enable people to apply for citizenship.
“Persons eligible under CAA-2019 can apply for citizenship on this portal: indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in,” said a spokesperson. A mobile app will also be launched soon to facilitate applications.
The Centre on Monday implemented the CAA, notifying the rules four years after the law was passed by Parliament to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.
With the unveiling of the rules, the Modi government will now start granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants — Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians — from the three countries.
The ministry has also formed an empowered panel to decide on granting citizenship as well as district-level committees that will verify documents.
Meanwhile, referring to the implementation of the CAA, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur on Tuesday said that the BJP had delivered on promises it made in the manifesto. “I would like to say just one thing on CAA, what resolves we made have been brought to conclusion. We said that we would repeal Article 370 and 35A and we did it. Peace and prosperity have been restored in Kashmir. Industry and tourism have got a boost,” he said.
“We had said that we would get rid of ‘triple talaq’ to help Muslim sisters. We kept our word. We promised CAA for the minorities facing persecution and harassment in neighbouring countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have made the biggest humanitarian law to grant citizenship to those minorities,” Thakur added.
“Why does the Opposition want to take away the rights of people who waited for citizenship for 70 years? The BJP works in accordance with the Constitution and runs the country according to the constitution,” Thakur said.
Assam cops warn against bandh call
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Guwahati, issued a legal notice to leaders of Congress-led 16-party United Opposition Forum of Assam for the call for ‘Sarbatmak Hartal’ (total strike) against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The notice said the hartal is likely to lead to road blockade, forceful closure of shops and other business establishments, and damage to public and private property. Meanwhile, the All Assam Students’ Union, 30 non-political indigenous organisations besides Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad, Congress, Raijor Dal and CPI(M) launched protests in various parts of the state. Police beefed up security and took dozens of agitators into custody on Tuesday.
NRC applicants to get priority
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said he will be the first to resign if one person, who has not applied for National Register of Citizens, gets citizenship, with protestors claiming that lakhs of people will enter the state after CAA.
‘caa won’t impact northeast states’
Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma said the law will not have any impact in the state since the sixth schedule areas have been exempted from its purview. The law will not be implemented in the north-eastern states where the Inner Line Permit regime is in existence. Meanwhile, Mizoram’s student body Mizo Zirlai Pawl burnt a copy of the rules to protest the law.
‘unconstitutional and discriminatory’
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will on Wednesday lead a roadshow in Siliguri against the implementation of the CAA. Banerjee, who has been vocal against the law, on Tuesday claimed that the rules notified were “unconstitu-tional and discriminatory”. Addressing an official programme at Habra in North 24 Parganas district, Banerjee maintained that she would not allow the implementation of the Citizenship Act in West Bengal, and urged the people to think several times before applying for citizenship under the law.
No indians will lose citizenship: Amit Shah
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has honoured Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain refugees by giving them citizenship through CAA, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday. He said the new law has no provision to strip anyone of their citizenship. Hitting out at the Congress and AIMIM, Shah said AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi are lying that minorities of the country will lose their citizenship with the implementation of CAA.
