CAA to be implemented soon in West Bengal, says Kailash Vijayvargiya

Dec. 13: BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya assured the Matua community in Thakurnagar in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal of implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). While addressing the media, BJP’s national general secretary informed, “We do not need the support of the State government. The Centre has the power to implement CAA in West Bengal. It will be implemented, irrespective of the support of the State.”

“Matuas, Nama Shudras have been living in India as refugees, after coming to India from Pakistan and Bangladesh to avoid religious persecution. We will give them citizenship to them, under any circumstances, and none can stop us,” Kailash Vijayvargiya emphasised.

BJP MP from Bongaon Shantanu Thakur, who belongs to the Matua community, said people were looking forward to Union Home Minister Amit Shah announcing the implementation of the CAA during his visit too Thakurnagar. Shah will visit the state on December 19. Earlier, BJP National President Jagat Prakash Nadda had said during his visit to the state that rules for implementation of the Act were being framed, after which CAA will be implemented in letter and spirit.

Both the districts of Nadia and North 24-Parganas share a border with Bangladesh and have a sizable refugee population, especially those from the Matua community, who originally hailed from the eastern districts of Bengal migrated to West Bengal, allegedly mostly due to religious persecution in East Pakistan, and later Bangladesh.