Kolkata, December 23: The Calcutta High Court on Monday ordered the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government to remove all advertisement put up by the state against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) from West Bengal. The Calcutta High Court also asked the state government to withdraw all ads that say the CAA and the NRC won't be implemented in West Bengal. Why Citizenship Amendment Act+NRC Raise Fear And Concerns: A Multi-Dimensional Take.
Representing the state government, said that the anti-CAA and anti-NRC ads have been taken off air for now; however, the petitioners said those were visible on the official website of the West Bengal police. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led TMC government has been opposing the CAA and the NRC. The TMC chief has also announced that the CAA and the NRC won't be implemented in West Bengal. PM Narendra Modi Defends Citizenship Amendment Act, Says 'No Indian Muslim Will Be Sent to Detention Centre'.
Banerjee led several marches against the CAA and the NRC. The state government has also stopped the updation of the National Population Register (NPR). As mandated by the central government, under the NPR, a census will be conducted from house to house across the country from April 1, 2020, to September 30, 2020. Apparently, the NPR is linked to the NRC which is yet to be announced by the central government.
The Citizenship Amendment Act, passed by Parliament, gives Indian citizenship to all immigrants fleeing persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan - but not if they are Muslim. The National Register of Citizens is an official record of those who are legal Indian citizens as per the Citizenship Act, 1955. Many see the CAA through the prism of nationwide NRC drive. While non-Muslims left out of the proposed nationwide NRC would be able to get citizenship under the CAA, Muslims who could not make the list may be deported.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 23, 2019 02:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).