Rules of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be framed by March 2024, Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra said on Sunday. Addressing a gathering in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, Mr. Mishra tried to allay fears of the Matua community over the delay in framing rules of the CAA and said the Act passed by the Parliament in December 2019 ensured that members of the community had become citizens.
“You will get the full rights of citizenship. In the absence of proper documents, no action can be initiated against you. This we have included in the Act,” the Minister told the gathering. As per his latest information, the Parliamentary Committee on Subordinate Legislation in the Lok Sabha had fixed time till January 9, 2024 while the committee in the Rajya Sabha had fixed a time of March 30, 2024 for framing the CAA rules.
The Minister’s remarks assume significance ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The delay of framing CAA rules had irked a section of Matuas, including even the MLAs from the community representing the BJP. After the 2019 polls, a number of BJP leaders have been trying to allay the fears of Matuas regarding delay in the implementation of the CAA. Earlier this year, the Home Ministry was granted an extension for the seventh time to frame the rules for the CAA.
