'No rethinking on CAA, govt firm': Naqvi after Mamata's clarion call against the Act

On Sunday, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi made it clear that the Centre would not make any changes in the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019. He called upon the Opposition and said that 'there is no rethinking on' CAA. Stressing that the law had been passed by both Houses of Parliament, he opined that it was mandatory for all state governments, including Jammu and Kashmir to implement the CAA without any pre-conditions.  

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Mamata Banerjee's refusal to implement the CAA

Naqvi’s statement comes in the wake of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. She directly informed him that the state government was against the CAA, the National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register. Moreover, she requested him to repeal the CAA.  

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee remarked, "I told him (PM Modi) that you are my guest here but still I would say that we are against CAA, NRC, and NPR. There's nationwide agitation going on against it and we are a part of it. We don't want anyone to lose their citizenship and no one should face any form of atrocity. I requested him to rethink on CAA and NRC and told him that we want them to be repealed.”  

Read: Meenakshi Lekhi Slams Mamata For Opposing CAA; Says, 'Don't Create Hindrance To Centre'

What is the CAA? 

The law 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 will not be considered as illegal migrants. Additionally, the mandatory residence period for naturalised citizenship for these communities would be reduced to 5 years. The opposition contends that the Bill discriminates on the basis of religion, which might go against Article 14, which guarantees the right to equality.   

Read: PM Modi Addresses Youth From Belur Math, Appeals Them To Not Get Misguided Over CAA