CAA Will Be Implemented In Bengal Soon: BJP's Kailash Vijayvargiya

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be implemented in West Bengal soon, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya Saturday said. He did not say anything on the contentious National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Kailash Vijayvargiya was talking to reporters at Thakurnagar in North 24 Parganas district which is largely inhabited by the backward Matua community.

"Even if the West Bengal government opposes the implementation of CAA we (Centre) will go ahead in implementing it. If the state supports the implementation it will be fine," he said.

BJP national president JP Nadda during his recent visit to the state had said that rules for implementation of the Act are being framed, following which CAA will be implemented in letter and spirit.

To a categorical question about implementation of NRC, Mr Vijayvargiya replied curtly, "We are talking about implementation of CAA here."

BJP MP from Bongaon Shantanu Thakur, a member of the Matua community, told reporters, "We will be looking forward to Union Home Minister Amit Shah making the announcement on implementation of CAA during his visit to Thakurnagar."

Matuas, who have a sizeable population in the state, are lower caste Hindu refugees who migrated to West Bengal from neighbouring Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan) during the Partition and in the subsequent decades. Permanent citizenship has remained a longstanding demand within the Matua community.

Party sources said Kailash Vijayvargiya and Shantanu Thakur held discussions about Amit Shah's proposed visit to Thakurnagar, the Matua community headquarters, soon.

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