Shah promises citizenship for Hindu, Sikh, Jain refugees from Bangladesh
“All Hindu, Sikh and Jain refugees who were forced to flee Bangladesh will certainly be granted Indian citizenship here, with dignity,” Shah said.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said Hindu, Sikh and Jain refugees who were forced to flee Bangladesh would be granted Indian citizenship within the next six months, while vowing to identify and remove illegal immigrants from West Bengal.
Speaking in Siliguri at an exhibition on India's three new criminal laws, Shah said the Union Home Ministry had delegated authority to eight district collectors in West Bengal to process and finalise citizenship applications under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
"All Hindu, Sikh and Jain refugees who were forced to flee Bangladesh will certainly be granted Indian citizenship here, with dignity," Shah said.
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Under the CAA, eligible Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who entered India on or before 31 December 2014 have a pathway to Indian citizenship.
Shah also outlined a separate policy towards illegal immigration, saying the government would follow a "detect, delete and deport" approach.
"I want to once again promise the people of Bengal that every single infiltrator will be identified and removed from West Bengal," Shah said.
The issue of migration from Bangladesh has been politically sensitive in West Bengal, which shares a long border with Bangladesh. The BJP has repeatedly made illegal immigration and implementation of the CAA key political issues in the state.
Shah also directly criticised former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of opposing the CAA.
"Mamata Didi, you did not accept it, but your government is gone and you are gone too. Now there is a Bharatiya Janata Party government," Shah said.
Shah's comments are likely to sharpen political debate in West Bengal over the CAA, citizenship for refugees, border security and illegal immigration.
The remarks were made during Shah's visit to Siliguri to address an exhibition focused on the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), India's three new criminal laws.
