"Biggest gift": Manjinder Singh Sirsa as Centre notifies rules for Citizenship Amendment Act

New Delhi [India], March 11 : Terming the Centre's announcement to notify the Citizenship Amendment Act's (CAA) rules as a 'biggest gift', Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa has expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Centre on Monday notified the rules for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), paving the way for the law's implementation across the country.
Sirsa, in a video posted by him on his X on Monday, said that the announcement to implement CAA will bring new hope and opportunity to those in need.
"This is the biggest gift to those families from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who were exiled because of their religion. PM Modi has given them a chance to live respectfully again. I would like to thank him and welcome this move," Sirsa said, adding, "I welcome this decision and am sure this will bring a new hope and opportunity to those in need."
Under the CAA, non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who had fled to India due to religious persecution and settled in the country before 2014 were promised citizenship.
A spokesperson for the Home Ministry said that eligible individuals could submit applications in "a completely online mode".
"No other documentation will be sought from the applicants," the MHA added.
Implementation of the CAA was a major campaign platform for the BJP before the 2019 election.
Home Minister Amit Shah, on multiple occasions, said that CAA rules would be notified ahead of the Lok Sabha elections to be held in April-May.
The CAA rules, introduced by the Narendra Modi government and passed by Parliament in 2019, aim to confer Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants - including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians - who migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and arrived in India before December 31, 2014.
Following the passage of the CAA by Parliament in December 2019 and its subsequent Presidential assent, significant protests erupted in various parts of the country.
As per an official, the CAA law can be put into action with the issuance of MHA notification, allowing eligible individuals to obtain Indian citizenship.
The implementation of the CAA, which has been delayed for over four years, necessitates the formulation of its associated rules.
"The regulations are prepared, and an online portal is already set up for the entire process, which will be conducted digitally. Applicants will need to disclose the year of their entry into India without any travel documents. No additional documentation will be required from the applicants," stated the official.
However, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has slammed the central government for issuing the notification of rules regarding the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), saying that the move is nothing else, but "BJP's publicity for elections".
Mamata Banerjee also questioned the Centre's choice of the date to notify the rules.
"If people are deprived of their rights under the rules, then we will fight against it. This is BJP's publicity for elections, it is nothing else. You should have notified rules six months ago. If there are any good things, we always support and appreciate but if anything is done that is not good for the country, TMC will always raise its voice and oppose it. I know why today's date was chosen before Ramazan," she said.
She further appealed to the people to be calm and avoid any rumours.
On December 27, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that the implementation of the CAA cannot be halted as it stands as the law of the land. He had also accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of misleading the public regarding this matter.
Speaking at a party meeting in Kolkata, Shah earlier emphasized that the BJP is committed to implementing the CAA. The TMC, led by Mamata Banerjee, has been opposing the CAA.
The assurance of implementing the highly debated CAA was a significant electoral agenda for the BJP during the previous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in West Bengal.