All-India Muslim Jamaat Chief welcomes CAA

Hours after the citizenship amendment act was notified by the central government, All India Muslim Jamaat President Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi said he welcomed the legislation, and tried to allay fears among the Muslim community, saying that it wouldn't impact their citizenship status.

"The Govt of India has implemented the CAA law. I welcome this law. This should have been done much earlier but better late than never... There are a lot of misunderstandings among the Muslims regarding this law. This law has nothing to do with Muslims. Earlier there was no law to provide citizenship to the non-Muslims coming from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who faced atrocities based on religion...," said the Maulana, speaking to reporters.

"Crores of Indian Muslims will not be affected by this law at all... This law is not going to take away the citizenship of any Muslim... In the past years, it has been seen that there were protests, it was because of misunderstandings. Some political people created misunderstandings among the Muslims... Every Muslim of India should welcome the CAA...," he added.

Meanwhile, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has also welcomed the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 after the centre notified rules on Monday.

"I welcome the decision which is taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is a good decision for Sikhs whose religion was converted in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh," said Gurcharan Singh Grewal, spokesperson of SGPC.

Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 enable persons eligible under CAA-2019 to apply for the grant of Indian citizenship and applications will be submitted in a completely online mode for which a web portal has been provided by the government.

The Centre notified the rules for implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act on Monday before the Model Code of Conduct comes into force as dates will be announced for the general election. The Lok Sabha polls are expected to be held in April-May this year. The Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed by Parliament in December 2019.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees who had sought shelter in India before December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in three neighbouring countries--Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, of six minority communities there.

The CAA removes legal barriers to rehabilitation and citizenship. It gives a dignified life to refugees "who have suffered for decades". Citizenship rights will protect their cultural, linguistic, and social identity, officials said, adding that it will also ensure economic, commercial, free movement, and property purchase rights.

Under the Citizenship Act of 1955, Indian citizenship by registration or naturalisation is granted to non-Muslim minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan in nine states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Maharashtra. It's notable that authorities in districts of Assam and West Bengal, both politically sensitive regions on this matter, have not been empowered with these citizenship-granting authorities thus far.

(ANI)