Bengal, TN and Kerala cannot block CAA, citizenship not state subject: Shah

Making it categorically clear that the CAA will never be repealed, Shah also said the states opposing it cannot block the CAA and that only the Centre can allow citizenship.

In an interview to new agency ANI, Shah asserted that CAA will “never be taken back”. "It is our sovereign decision to ensure Indian citizenship in our country, we will never compromise on it," he added.

Responding to the question on how the governments of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have said they will not implement CAA in their states, Shah pointed out that Article 11 of our Constitution provides all the powers to Parliament to make rules regarding citizenship.

According to Shah citizenship is a Centre's subject, not a state one. According to the home minister, everyone will cooperate after the elections and pointed out in the interview, "They are spreading misinformation for appeasement politics."

Stop infiltration in Bengal

Further, reacting to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s warning to people to “think twice” before applying for citizenship under CAA, which is a trap to send people to detention camps, Shah told ANI that BJP will soon come to power in West Bengal and will stop infiltration.

He slammed Mamata for playing politics with such an important national security issue, and “for allowing infiltration by doing appeasement politics and oppose the refugees from getting citizenship”. "Mamata Banerjee does not know the difference between a person taking refuge and an infiltrator," he told ANI.

Vote bank politics

On Kejriwal's statement that giving citizenship to refugees will increase thefts and rapes, he accused the Delhi Chief Minister of losing his calm after his corruption was exposed.

Shah hit out at Kejriwal's ignorance about the fact that these people have already come and living in India. "If he is so concerned, then why doesn't he talk about Bangladeshi infiltrators or oppose the Rohingyas?" he asked, alleging that Kejriwal is doing vote bank politics. Kejriwal has forgotten the background of partition and should meet the refugee families, he added.

Also, Shah pointed out that there is "no need for minorities or any other person to fear "because there is no provision in CAA to take away anyone's citizenship.