CAA, which triggered a storm of protests in 2019. Ending with riots in Delhi and concern that the civil liberties of a huge number of protesters had been and continue to be curtailed, has now granted citizenship to 319 people in Gujarat. The Act has been in the spotlight for years, but after a long wait and a lot of controversies, it is being of use to many Hindu refugees in Gujarat for the second consecutive year.
On Thursday, Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi handed over Indian citizenship certificates to 319 displaced people from Pakistan at a ceremony in Rajkot, ending years of uncertainty for families who had sought refuge in India.
Harsh Sanghavi welcomes new Indian Citizens
Sanghavi told the beneficiaries at the ceremony at Pramukh Swami Auditorium: “Smile, from today you are all citizens of India.”
His remarks were followed by chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” from those attending the event.
The beneficiaries came from various districts in Gujarat. Rajkot had 259 beneficiaries, Morbi 53, Kutch six and Surendranagar one.
Deputy CM Speaks about the Hardships faced by Hindus in Pakistan.
Sanghavi spoke about the hardships faced by Hindus, particularly women, in Pakistan’s Tharparkar region. He cited incidents in which Hindu families had to change their names and live in fear of lynching and other forms of violence.
He also joked that a Garba pass in Gujarat was worth far more than a Pakistani passport.
Parshottam Rupala, former MP and Rajya Sabha member, also spoke in the meeting. He said the law was humanitarian: it was not designed to take away anyone’s citizenship but to offer refugees a chance to live and develop a better future.
Dignitaries attend the citizenship ceremony
Mayor Nehal Shukla, MP Kesaridevsinh Zala, District Panchayat President Sanjay Pipaliya, MLAs Udaybhai Kangad, Ramesh Tilala, Bhanuben Babariya, Aniruddh Dave and Mahendra Padaliya and former MP Rambhai Mokariya were present at the programme.
The senior officials who attended the programme were Rajkot City Police Commissioner Brajesh Kumar Jha, Municipal Commissioner Tushar Sumera and District Development Officer Anandu Suresh Govind.
Why has the CAA remained controversial?
The Citizenship Amendment Act has been debated since it was passed in 2019. It is a fast route to Indian citizenship for eligible Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2014, subject to the applicable legal requirements.
But the Act has raised concerns among sections of India’s Muslim minority because it excludes Muslims from the specified religious groups eligible for this special route to citizenship.
Critics fear that the law may be used in concert with other citizenship-related measures to disproportionately affect Muslims, especially those who can’t get the necessary documents to prove their citizenship. Poor neighborhoods and flood-prone areas may have more issues in preserving or receiving official records.
But this has been the central issue in the debate around the legislation.
A New Beginning For Hindu Refugees.
The new citizenship certificates are a positive development for 319 beneficiaries in Gujarat, whatever the political and legal debate on the CAA.
For Hindu refugees from neighbouring countries who have lived in India for decades, sometimes without formal documentation, getting Indian citizenship can bring relief after years of uncertainty.
Rajkot’s ceremony is one of the testaments to the immediate effect of the law on eligible refugee families and the larger debate on citizenship, equality and the rights of vulnerable communities in India.
Comments
Leave a Comment