New Delhi:

Less than two weeks after the first set of citizenship certificates were issued under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the process has also begun in West Bengal, where the implementation of the law has been a contentious issue. The Union Home Ministry said Empowered Committees of the States of Haryana and Uttarakhand have also granted citizenship to the first set of applicants. 

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) was enacted in December 2019 to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It reduced the qualification period for Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from these countries, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014, from eleven years to five. 

The CAA rules were notified only in March this year, however, after massive protests stalled its implementation. 

During his election speeches in West Bengal, PM Narendra Modi has attacked the Trinamool Congress (TMC) over the issue and alleged that “infiltrators” are flourishing in the state under the party’s rule. He repeated the charge earlier on Wednesday as well. 

“The demography in the border areas of Bengal is being changed. The TMC is against giving citizenship to religiously persecuted minorities. Why are they opposing the CAA so much? Why are these people (TMC leaders) lying about the CAA,” he asked at a rally in Bengal’s Kakdwip, his last for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. 

Claiming that the party does not want the Hindus and the Matua community to stay in Bengal, the PM added,  “To appease a section of the society, the TMC government is openly attacking the Constitution, which has given reservations to Dalits and backward castes. Reservations were looted in West Bengal and false OBC certificates were issued to Muslims.” 

Hitting back, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee she was “ready to sacrifice her life” but would not allow the “divisive politics” of the BJP such as the CAA, National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state. 

Addressing a rally at Metiabruz in the Diamond Harbour constituency on Wednesday, she reiterated she would not allow the implementation of these policies. “If people do not want divisive CAA, NRC or UCC that will erase our diversity, they must vote against the BJP,” she said. 

The Home Ministry said the first set of applicants from West Bengal were granted citizenship by the state’s empowered committee.

“Similarly, the Empowered Committees of the States of Haryana and Uttarakhand have also granted citizenship today to the first set of applicants in their respective States, under the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024,” it said. 

The first-ever set of certificates under the law was handed over to applicants in New Delhi on May 15. Their applications were approved by the capital territory’s empowered committee.

(With PTI inputs)

New Delhi:

These are “new birth certificates”. This is how Dayal Singh, a refugee from Pakistan, described the citizenship certificates issued to him, his son and his daughter.

Mr Singh, 47, who has been living in a shanty in North Delhi’s Majnu-ka-Tilla since 2013 after he migrated from Pakistan with his family, was among the 14 people to be given the certificate under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) on Wednesday. The law grants Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Singh’s wife Mira, 40, and his other five children are yet to get their certificates but she is happy that a part of the family is now ‘Bharatiya Nagriks’ (Indian citizens).

“Our journey was filled with challenges due to the identity we carried with us. But now we are ‘Bharatiya Nagriks’,” said Mira while talking to PTI in the shanty that is part of a camp for refugees, some of whom stay in tents.

Most are engaged in odd jobs such as selling chips and other packed food items, water bottles and mobile phone covers on the roadside to make ends meet. “My father-in-law used to always say ‘One day we will be called Bharatiyas and that will be the biggest day of our lives’. He died waiting for that day,” Mira said, adding that he will be happy today.

Every migrant family at the camp has endured years of hardship, she said.

“Here, two or three families with 15-20 people live together in cramped conditions with minimal resources. We started getting our children married off quickly to secure their future,” she said.

The citizenship certificates were handed over to Singh, his son Bharat Kumar and daughter Yashoda, and the 11 others by the Union home secretary after their applications were processed online through a designated portal.

It was a day of celebration, Jhula Ram, who migrated from Pakistan’s Sindh province, said.

“We took our first step in India on October 5, 2013. Yesterday, we became citizens of this country. Our family has 18 members, and three of us have received our ‘birth certificates’ (citizenship certificates),” he said.

Reflecting on his life in Sindh, Ram said, “I was young at that time but we used to live in a tense atmosphere. Whenever something happened against them, we used to become targets, and we were threatened.” “Near my house (in Pakistan), there was a temple of Devi Maa, which I still miss as it is one of my only good memories from childhood. I do miss that temple but now I’ll start going to Vaishno Devi (in Jammu),” Ram told PTI.

Ram said, “Our children will be proud and happy with the decision we made. It will eventually make their lives easier.” Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mira said the new identity will secure the future of her family. She has named her youngest daughter, 14, after the late actor Sridevi.

A 58-year-old resident of the camp, who did not want to be identified, said, “We came here in 2015, and as per the CAA, only those who came to India on or before December 31, 2014, will get the CAA’s benefits.” Shantaram said, “Our people are being accepted and will no longer be called refugees. People call us Pakistani refugees but now we will be called Indians. However, my family and I came in 2015.” “I run a shop here and am just making a living. I have 50 members in my family, and we are all in the same situation, not knowing what we will do,” he said The CAA was enacted in December 2019 to grant Indian nationality to persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.

After the enactment, the CAA got the president’s assent but the rules under which the Indian citizenship was granted were issued on March 11 this year after over a delay of four years.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the decades-long wait of those who faced religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan is over.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

North 24 Parganas (West Bengal):

In a blistering attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo came to power on the promise of a government for “Maa, Maati, Manush” but was now catering to “Mullah, Madrasa and Mafia”.

Addressing a rally at Bongaon in the North 24 Parganas on Tuesday, the Union Home Minister said the TMC government provided a monthly honorarium to Imams but not a penny to priests and custodians of temples.

“The TMC came to power on the slogan of ‘Maa, Mati, Manush’. However, their focus has now shifted to ‘Mullah, Madrasa, Mafia’. The Imams here are paid an honorarium but the priests and keepers of temples get nothing. While there are no obstacles to Tazias (procession of Muslim mourners on Muharram), there are regular roadblocks to taking out immersion processions on Durga Puja and Kali Puja. Should this be allowed to continue,” Mr Shah said.

He also slammed Mamata Banerjee for spurning the invite to the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya and said, “Despite receiving a formal invitation, she did not attend the inauguration ceremony (at the Ram temple) to appease a certain vote bank. You (people) are not her vote bank, the infiltrators are. She is scared of rubbing her vote bank the wrong way.”

Also accusing the chief minister of spreading falsehoods over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), he said she was ‘misleading’ people on the central legislation that is aimed at granting asylum and permanent residency to immigrant minority settlers from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

“Mamata Banerjee is misleading the people saying the CAA could invite trouble for the people. I want to assure you all that the legislation is not aimed at bringing any harm to anyone. All bonafide citizens can go on leading their lives here with dignity. No power in the world can stop Hindu, Sikh, and Jain refugees from becoming citizens of the country,” he said, alleging that the ruling TMC was trying to turn infiltrators into Indian citizens while coming out in Opposition to the CAA, which is aimed at granting permanent residency to oppressed minorities, including the Matuas who crossed over from Bangladesh.

“I want to remind Mamata Banerjee that the central government, and not state governments, reserves the right to grant citizenship,” he added.

Assuring that the Matua community, which inhabits Bongaon and elsewhere in the North 24 Parganas, would be able to avail rights under the CAA if the BJP comes to power in Bengal, Mr Shah added, “Four phases of polling have been completed. The elections to 380 seats in the Lok Sabha, including 18 in Bengal, are done and dusted. I can tell you today, that of the 380 seats for which polling has already happened, PM Modi has secured absolute majority, winning 270 seats. The battle for us now is to cross 400-plus seats.”

Warning Mamata Banerjee that those involved in ‘scams’ wouldn’t be spared, the Union Home Minister said, “From ‘cut money’ culture to infiltration, from bomb blasts to Bhatija’s (CM’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee) goons harassing people, from ‘Syndicate Raj’ to utter lawlessness, Bengal is staring at a state of complete lawlessness. Only Narendra Modi-Ji can save the state from plunging further into the abyss. Those involved in the chit fund scam, teacher recruitment scam, municipal recruitment scam, ration scam, cow and coal smuggling should be ready to go to jail. No one will be spared.”

Amit Shah was campaigning for BJP candidate Shantanu Thakur, who is pitted against the TMC’s Biswajit Das in his bid to secure a fresh term in the Lok Sabha from Bangaon.

Polling in Bengal is being conducted across all seven phases and the counting of votes is scheduled for June 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

North 24 Parganas (West Bengal:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the Trinamool Congress and said that infiltrators are flourishing under the Mamata Banerjee rule and guaranteed to the people of West Bengal that nobody can stop the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the state.

Addressing a rally in Barrackpur, PM Modi gave five “guarantees” to the people of West Bengal.

“I want to give five guarantees to the people of Bengal: – Nobody can give reservations based on religion. Reservations for SC, ST, and OBC will not be touched. Nobody can stop you from celebrating Ram Navami. The judgement of the Supreme Court on Ram Mandir will not be quashed. Nobody can stop the implementation of CAA,” PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister’s remarks on the Ram Mandir verdict came days after former Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had vowed to overturn the Supreme Court’s Ram Mandir verdict if Congress forms the government at the Centre.

PM Modi slammed the Opposition and said that they had made the CAA a “villain” adding that the CAA is to provide citizenship.

“Vote bank politics has presented a law like CAA, which protects humanity, But opposition made it a villain. CAA is a law to give citizenship to the victims, it does not take away anyone’s citizenship. But parties like Congress-TMC painted it with the colour of their lies,” he said.

The Prime Minister alleged that the infiltrators are flourishing under the protection of TMC in the state.

“There was a time when many scientific discoveries were taking place in Bengal, today under the rule of TMC, the home industry of making bombs is running in many places. There was a time when Bengal used to revolt against the infiltrators, but today the infiltrators are flourishing here under the protection of TMC,” he said.

He further hit out at the West Bengal government over the law and order in the state on several religious occasions when violent incidents have been reported, and said that it has become difficult for a common man to follow his faith in Bengal.

PM Modi continued his attack on the state government and highlighted the Sandeshkhali incident saying that goons of TMC are threatening the women of Sandeshkhali.

“Goons of TMC are threatening the women of Sandeshkhali only because the culprit’s name is Shahjahan Sheikh. They are trying their best to save and protect him from legal action. Don’t be afraid of TMC. You must give your full mandate to our candidate; each vote will reach me. Viksit Bengal is crucial for Viksit Bharat,” he said.

Mentioning the West Bengal teacher’s recruitment case, PM Modi said that the money that TMC extorted from the people would be lawfully given back to the people.

“Modi will not let the corrupt leaders sit peacefully. They will be reprimanded! No corrupt leader will be spared. The money that TMC extorted from you will be lawfully given back to you,” he said.

Voting will take place for eight Lok Sabha seats of West Bengal in the fourth phase of voting to be held on May 13. The constituencies are Baharampur, Krishnanagar, Ranaghat, Bardhaman Purba, Burdwan-Durgapur, Asansol, Bolpur and Birbhum.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the TMC won 34 seats in the state, while the BJP had to settle for 2 seats. The CPI (M) won 2 seats, while the Congress bagged 4.

However, the BJP came up with a much-improved showing in the 2019 polls, winning 18 seats against the TMC’s 22. The Congress’s tally dropped to just 2 seats, while the Left scored a blank.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A polling officer set up a polling booth ahead of the second phase of the general elections, at a village in Barmer in the desert state of Rajasthan, India, April 25, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

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Kolkata:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) claiming that neither she nor the Congress can dare to touch the CAA.

While addressing a rally at Karandighi in the Raiganj constituency, Mr Shah slammed the TMC government in West Bengal over issues of corruption, including the school jobs scam, and asserted that only the BJP can eradicate corruption and cut money culture of the TMC in the state.

Mr Shah said the party has set a target of winning 35 Lok Sabha seats from West Bengal and if “it achieves the target, the goons of the TMC would be hung upside down and straightened.” Hitting out at the Congress over remarks by its leaders that the CAA would be repealed if they were voted to power, Shah said, “Neither Congress nor Mamata Banerjee can dare to touch the CAA.” “Why is Mamata Banerjee opposing CAA? She is supporting infiltration in Bengal but opposes Hindu refugees getting citizenship,” the BJP leader said.

The Congress and Mamata Banerjee are against the CAA because they want to help the infiltrators, he alleged.

Ms Banerjee recently claimed that if the opposition bloc INDIA comes to power, of which the TMC is a part at the national level, it would repeal the CAA by bringing in a new law in parliament.

The Centre last month implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, notifying the rules four years after the law was passed by Parliament to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.

Mr Shah said only the BJP can only end the TMC’s “rule of corruption and cut money” in West Bengal.

“The Calcutta High Court yesterday gave a judgment cancelling thousands of appointments made through the 2016 teacher recruitment test. It is a matter of shame that jobs were sold for lakhs of rupees. They have taken 10 lakhs, and 15 lakhs as bribes for jobs. It means if you do not have 15 lakh rupees, how will you get a job for your brothers and sons?” he said.

The Calcutta High Court on Monday ordered the cancellation of appointments of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff made through the State Level Selection Test-2016 (SLST) in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools, declaring the selection process as “null and void.” West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had termed the high court order “illegal” and said her government will challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court.

Mr Shah said, “Rs 51 crore were recovered from the residence of TMC minister Partha Chatterjee. What action was taken against him?” Former education minister Partha Chatterjee was suspended from the party and removed from the state cabinet in July 2022, days after his arrest in the school jobs scam.

“This cut-money culture and corruption must end in West Bengal. I want to know whether this should stop or not. The TMC can never stop it; only the BJP can stop it,” he said.

While referring to TMC’s slogan of Maa Mati Manush (Mother, Land and people), Mr Shah said, “In Sandeshkhali, Maa was tortured, Mati has been given to Bangladeshi infiltrators and Manush have been suffering due to corruption,” “Vote for BJP and Mamata Banerjee’s goondas will be hung upside down and straightened,” he said Earlier while addressing a roadshow in the Malda South constituency, Shah said that under the Trinamool Congress rule, infiltration is continuing unabated in the state.

Referring to the recent incidents in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district, where allegations of sexual abuse against TMC leaders have emerged, Shah said it is a matter of shame that “Mamata Banerjee, despite being a woman chief minister, tried to protect the culprits.” “For years, atrocities continued right under your (Mamata Banerjee’s) nose. To get some votes through appeasement, you are protecting the criminals of Sandeshkhali. Now these culprits are in jail,” he claimed.

Mr Shah said to appease TMC’s vote bank politics the Chief Minister had maintained a stoic silence.

“In Sandeshkhali, Mamata didi allowed women to be tortured so that TMC’s vote bank is not affected. The High Court intervened and today the accused are in jail,” he said.

The Union home minister urged the people of West Bengal to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop violence, halt infiltration, ensure citizenship for refugees, and uphold the dignity of women.

“Mamata Didi does not let Modi Ji’s schemes reach the people in Bengal. She is afraid that if Modi Ji’s schemes reach the people of Bengal, they will support him,” Mr Shah said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan (file)
| Photo Credit: PTI

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has questioned the “reprehensible silence” of the Congress on the issue of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking to mediapersons at Cherthala in Alappuzha on April 6 (Saturday), Mr. Vijayan said that unlike the Congress, the manifesto of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI (M)] had pledged to scrap “draconian laws” such as the CAA, Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, among others.

“The BJP government has implemented the CAA to polarise society. It is aimed at making Muslims second-class citizens in the country. The Congress and its leadership have been maintaining silence on the CAA. Its manifesto has not promised to repeal the CAA. The silence of the Congress in its manifesto on CAA and other draconian laws points out that the party is not serious about the fight against the Sangh Parivar and its Hindutva agenda,” said Mr. Vijayan, adding that Congress’ decision to omit the CAA from its manifesto was “planned.”

He criticised the BJP for revoking Article 370 (that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir) and hit out at the Congress for “failing to oppose” the Union government’s decision.

‘BJP won’t win any seats in Kerala’

The Chief Minister said the BJP “would not win a single seat from Kerala” in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

“Of the 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala, the BJP will not even come second in any of the seats. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) will not allow communalism to take root in Kerala. We will oppose the Sangh Parivar with all strength and work to oust them from power at the Centre,” Mr. Vijayan said.

He said the BJP opened the account in Kerala in the 2016 Assembly polls with the help of the Congress. “In the 2011 polls, the UDF bagged 17.38% votes in Nemom. Five years later, the UDF’s vote share in the constituency dipped to 9.7% and the BJP candidate won. In 2021, the LDF reclaimed the seat and closed the BJP’s account in Kerala. The LDF will not change its political stance for votes,” the Chief Minister said.

On the bomb blast near Panur in Kannur that killed one person, Mr. Vijayan said illegal activities would be firmly dealt with. “The CPI(M) has nothing to do with the blast. The police are investigating it,” he said.

Krishananagar:

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday mocked the BJP’s target of winning 400-plus seats in the Lok Sabha polls and challenged the saffron camp to win at least 200 constituencies.

Ms Banerjee also asserted that she won’t allow the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act in the state.

She cautioned people that applying for CAA would turn an applicant into a foreigner and urged them not to apply for it.

“The BJP is saying “400 paar”, I challenge them to cross the 200 seats benchmark first. In 2021 assembly polls, they gave a call of 200 plus seats but had to stop at 77,” she said.

“The CAA is a trap to turn legal citizens into foreigners. We would allow neither CAA nor NRC in West Bengal,” she said while addressing her first rally in the election season after her injury earlier this month.

Ms Banerjee, the TMC supremo, slammed the opposition bloc INDIA partners — CPI(M) and Congress — for “joining hands with the BJP” in West Bengal.

“There is no INDIA alliance in West Bengal. The CPI(M) and Congress are working for the BJP in Bengal,” she said while addressing an election rally at Krishnanagar in support of TMC candidate Mahua Moitra.

“Our MP Mahua Moitra was maligned and expelled from the Lok Sabha as she was vocal against the BJP,” she added. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Two killed after anti-CAA meeting in Meghalaya

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Congress announces 14 more candidates for Lok Sabha polls

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Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt convicted in false drug seizure case

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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on March 27 said India’s position in the Russia-Ukraine conflict has been that a solution cannot be found on the battlefield and New Delhi wants to find a way of bringing this conflict to an end. Responding to a question on India’s position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict during his interaction with the Indian diaspora in the Malaysian capital, Mr. Jaishankar said that there are “no winners of a conflict”. “We took the position from the start, that you’re not going to get a solution to this conflict on the battlefield,” he said.

In its seventh list, BJP announces Navneet Rana’s candidature for the contentious Amravati Lok Sabha seat

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday announced the candidature of Navneet Rana for the reserved Amravati Lok Sabha seat in its seventh list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Ms. Rana, an independent MP and the incumbent legislator of the Amravati Lok Sabha seat, is a supporter of the BJP along with her husband Ravi Rana, who is the current MLA from Badnera (in Amravati). The announcement now paves the way for Ms. Rana to formally join the BJP and contest on the Scheduled Caste (SC) reserved seat.

Rameshwaram Cafe blast: NIA conducts simultaneous raids in Shivamogga and Tamil Nadu

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing Bengaluru’s The Rameshwaram Cafe blast case, conducted simultaneous raids and questioned several suspects in Shivamogga, Karnataka, Chennai, and Ramanathapuram districts in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday (March 27). NIA sleuths on Wednesday raided the residences of Mussavir Hussain Shazib and Abdul Matheen Taha in Thirthahalli. The duo are accused in the 2020 Al Hind IS module case registered in Suddaguntepalya and have been absconding since. They are also said to be the kingpins of the Thirthahalli module and accused in the Mangaluru cooker blast of November 2022. Given the similarity in the timer and detonator devices in the IEDs used in The Rameshwaram Cafe blast and the cooker blast, agencies have suspected the role of the same module. 

Woman stripped, paraded and beaten up in M.P. village; four women held

Four women were arrested for allegedly beating up, stripping and parading a 30-year-old woman over a dispute at a village in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district, police said on Wednesday. A video of the purported incident that occurred during the Holi celebrations also surfaced on social media. “On Monday, four women forcibly pulled the victim out of her house, beat her up and humiliated her by stripping her naked in public at Bachhora village of Gautampura police station area,” Superintendent of Police (Rural) Sunil Mehta said.

New Delhi:

Lawyer Harish Salve has pointed out those criticising the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) do not fully understand the objective of this law or the context behind why India decided on notifying the CAA.

In an exclusive interview to NDTV on Saturday, Mr Salve explained the CAA is in harmony with constitutional morality and constitutional legality.

The CAA will help minorities from three neighbouring Islamic nations fast-track their Indian citizenship process if they fled due to religious persecution.

“The Home Minister has explained the context of the law, and the context of the law is that there was an Indian subcontinent prior to 1947. Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and what is now known as Bangladesh were very much a part of it. And this was liberal. Of course there were principalities, but India was liberal. My wife comes from Afghanistan. She grew up there in the 60s and 70s. She says it was a very liberal society. Their understanding was first the family, then community, then the religion. Now, things have changed,” Mr Salve told NDTV.

“Things changed in Pakistan which has declared itself an Islamic state. Bangladesh also calls itself an Islamic republic. And we all know Afghanistan’s misfortune with the Taliban,” he said.

“In a situation like this, the Home Minister has said, how the non-Islamic population in these countries has dropped dramatically. So if India says people who are of Indian ethnicity, of the Indian subcontinent, the Zoroastrians, Sikhs, Christians, Hindus… They will get fast-track citizenship since they are not allowed to practice their own religion freely in these Islamic states. A theocratic State by definition has a State religion,” Mr Salve said.

“So, if we fast-track their citizenship, if we say we will fit them into Indian society, I don’t see where the constitutional morality gets affected by this?” the top lawyer told NDTV.

On why India did not include communities like Rohingya as they too are persecuted, Mr Salve said this is where the question of constitutional legality comes in.

Giving an example, he said people pay different rates of taxes depending on their income, but that is not discrimination.

“People below a particular income level are given so many things which are not given to others. An ideal welfare state would give fully free healthcare and education. Would India want to do that someday? Of course, India would. But today you have to be below a particular income level to get them because it’s a question of resources.

“The argument of discrimination is about what if you discriminate between people? This is what we constitutional lawyers call over-classification. That if people of the same class are left out of benefits being given, then you call it discrimination. For this, it becomes very necessary to define a class.

“If you make differential treatment, that must be in a nexus with the object to achieve. What is the class? The class is the minorities in the three neighbouring Islamic states. That is the class. What is the object to achieve? That the minorities in Islamic states are by definition of theocratic States treated differently from the majority or the State religion.

“The object to be achieved is these are minorities of Indian ethnicity, who are discriminated against, and the class is them, therefore we fit them in… It is perfectly constitutionally permissible in my point of view,” Mr Salve explained.

Referring to the Rohingya issue, he said it is possible that even within a theocratic State, people of the State religion are treated differently.

“But can you deny the fact that in a State religion, there is a State religion and there are religions discouraged by the State. These are the classifications. We are not fixing the problems of the Islamic faith. We would be stepping out of line if we were to do that,” Mr Salve told NDTV.

“How would somebody like if Pakistan said certain communities of Hindus are not properly treated in India, that it would give free citizenship and money. We would then say, ‘don’t poke your nose in our affairs’. Islam is a religion. And if Islam is not being properly administered, it is for the people of the Islamic faith to fix it,” he said.

The CAA’s implementation was a major campaign platform for the BJP before the 2019 election. Home Minister Amit Shah has accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee – who has long been one of the CAA’s fiercest and most vocal critics – of deliberately misleading the people of her state on this topic.