The Aryavarth Express
Agency(Karnataka): The Karnataka government has yet to engage in discussions regarding the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, within the state, according to Home Minister G Parameshwara. This statement came in response to inquiries following the Central Government’s announcement on Monday about putting the CAA into effect, a significant development occurring four years after the law’s contentious passage.
The CAA aims to provide a pathway to Indian citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, who have faced religious persecution. This legislation specifically extends to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians from these countries.
Home Minister Parameshwara emphasized that the decision to either adopt or reject the act’s implementation in Karnataka rests with the state’s Cabinet. “We have not yet discussed it. If the Chief Minister deems it necessary to bring the matter before the Cabinet for discussion and decision, we will accordingly proceed to make a determination,” Parameshwara conveyed to the media.
The timing of the rules being notified—just days before the anticipated announcement of the Lok Sabha elections—highlights the Modi government’s readiness to begin the process of granting Indian nationality to the specified groups of persecuted non-Muslim migrants from the aforementioned countries.
The Karnataka government’s upcoming deliberation on this matter signals a critical juncture in determining the extent to which the state will align with or diverge from the federal directive on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
