With CAA implementation, Matua community gets their rights: BJP leader Shantanu Thakur

New Delhi [India], March 11 (ANI): Union Minister Shantanu Thakur expressed gratitude to the central government for implementing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) which will give citizenship rights to the Matua community.
Matuas are Namasudras, a Hindu Scheduled Caste group who trace their ancestry to East Bengal. Many of them entered West Bengal after Partition or after the formation of Bangladesh.
Taking to X on Monday, the Union Minister said, "This decision has overjoyed Matua devotees across the country and West Bengal as they begin a new journey, following the battle being fought since the 20th century."
The Union Home Ministry has notified rules for implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on Monday, days ahead of the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections schedule.
Home Minister Amit Shah, on multiple occasions, said that CAA rules would be notified ahead of the Lok Sabha elections to be held in April-May.
The CAA rules, introduced by the Narendra Modi government and passed by Parliament in 2019, aim to confer Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants - including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians - who migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and arrived in India before December 31, 2014.
Shantanu Thakur extended his heartfelt thanks to the Matua community for their unwavering faith and belief in the country's leadership. He credited the commitment of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, stating, "I wholeheartedly thank them for paving the way for CAA's implementation across the country, reflecting the vision of ModiKiGuarantee."
Union Minister Thakur emphasized that the significance of the day, stating, "Today's day has been embarked in the history of New India." Thakur declared, "Matuas, the deprived sections, have got their rights today, and it is time to celebrate it like a festival."
On 4th March in an exclusive interview with ANI Union Minister Shantanu Thakur reiterated Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which was passed by the Parliament in December 2019, will be implemented before the Lok Sabha elections.
"The CAA will be implemented in such a way that there will be no role for state governments in it. They will not get any chance to create an environment of disturbance in the country," Thakur told ANI.
Under the CAA, the Modi government wants to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants - Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who arrived in India till December 31, 2014.
Today, Matuas constitute the second largest SC population of West Bengal.
Mostly concentrated in North and South 24-Parganas, they also have a presence in other border districts such as Nadia, Howrah, Cooch Behar, and Malda. (ANI)