Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Jul 6: Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday said the process of granting citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to eligible refugees who fled religious persecution in neighbouring countries, including those residing in West Bengal, would be completed soon.
Addressing a convention in Kolkata to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Syama Prasad Mukherjee, Shah said the legislation was enacted to provide Indian citizenship to genuine refugees belonging to persecuted minority communities from neighbouring nations.
Referring to the Liaquat–Nehru Pact signed on April 8, 1950, between then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan's Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan, Shah said the agreement was intended to safeguard the rights of minorities in both countries.
He alleged, however, that the interests and security of Hindu minorities in Pakistan and the then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) were not adequately protected under the pact, while provisions relating to the protection of Muslims in India received greater emphasis.
According to Shah, Syama Prasad Mukherjee had carefully examined the agreement and recognised its shortcomings with regard to the protection of minority Hindus in Pakistan and East Pakistan.
The Home Minister said that with Mukherjee's ideological successors now in power, the Citizenship Amendment Act had been introduced to provide citizenship to refugees belonging to persecuted minority communities who had sought shelter in India from neighbouring countries.
He assured that all eligible applicants would receive Indian citizenship and that the remaining process under the Act would be completed at the earliest.
During his address, Shah also praised West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari for his performance during the initial months of his tenure, stating that the state government had begun acting against anti-social and corrupt elements in line with its electoral commitments.
He further said the government's promise to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state was progressing and warned that those involved in corruption would be held accountable.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also addressed the gathering virtually, describing Syama Prasad Mukherjee's life as an enduring source of inspiration that evolved into a broader ideological movement.
Modi said Mukherjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh at a time when the Indian National Congress dominated Indian politics, creating space for an alternative political ideology despite the challenging political environment of the period.