BJP breaks silence on CAA implementation; JP Nadda reveals 'framing of rules in process'

Amid months-long silence from the Centre on the implementation of the CAA, BJP national president JP Nadda on Monday provided reassurance on this front. Addressing a meeting of various social groups in Siliguri, West Bengal, Nadda stated that the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 will be operationalized very soon. According to him, the delay vis a vis CAA was owing to the COVID-19 crisis.

At the same time, he revealed that the Union government was in the process of framing rules for the CAA. While President Ram Nath Kovind gave assent to this legislation on December 12, 2019, the MHA reportedly sought additional three months' time to frame the rules as of August 2020. After the passage of the CAA, massive protests broke out across the country apart from the law being challenged before various High Courts and the Supreme Court. 

BJP chief JP Nadda stated, "As far as the Citizenship Amendment Act is concerned, it has already been passed. You will definitely get the Citizenship Amendment Act. This is for sure. Currently, the government is framing the rules. This process got delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But as the COVID-19 crisis is subsiding, the rules are getting formulated. Be rest assured that you the CAA will be operational very soon."

Read: UNHRC Intervention On CAA: MEA Asserts Sovereign Right, Makes Locus Standi Argument

Read: 'Will Translate It To Italian, Read It': Amit Shah Challenges Rahul Gandhi To CAA Debate

What is the CAA?

The CAA seeks to provide citizenship to the minority communities namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This will be applicable to the members of these communities having arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. Moreover, they shall not be considered as illegal migrants. Additionally, the mandatory residence period for naturalised citizenship for these communities would be reduced to 5 years.

Several parties in the North East such as the (AASU) have been vehemently opposed to this legislation. To ameliorate their concerns of organizations such as the All Assam Students’ Union, the Centre has exempted a major part of the North East from the ambit of the Act. The opposition contends that the Act discriminates on the basis of religion, which might go against Article 14, which guarantees the right to equality. 

Legislative journey

The Citizenship Amendment Bill was first introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 19, 2016. Thereafter, it was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) which submitted its report on January 7, 2019. While it received the assent of the Lok Sabha the very next day, the Bill remained pending in the Rajya Sabha as BJP did not have enough numbers for its passage. A

After the dissolution of the Lok Sabha in May 2019, the Bill automatically lapsed. With an even greater mandate, the NDA government reintroduced the bill on December 9, 2019. After an hours-long debate in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the legislation was cleared by a majority of the members voting in the favour of the Centre. 

Read: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan Writes To CMs Of 11 States Urging To Pass Anti-CAA Resolution