Tripura govt set to implement CAA amid controversy

The BJP-led government in Tripura is preparing to enforce the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), Chief Minister Manik Saha announced on Friday. This move has sparked opposition from various political parties, which fear the law could incite communal tensions in the state.Speaking at a blood donation camp at a local mosque, Saha stated that the state government is acting on instructions from the Centre to implement the CAA in Tripura. The Centre notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules 2024 on March 11, facilitating the enforcement of the CAA. This law aims to provide Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians, who arrived in India from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan before December 31, 2014.Following guidance from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Tripura has formed a six-member state-level empowered committee chaired by the Director of Census Operations to oversee the citizenship granting process. Additionally, district-level committees, headed by District Magistrates, have been established in all eight districts to manage and scrutinise applications under the CAA.Rabindra Reang, Director of Census Operations in Tripura, explained that these district-level committees will review applications before forwarding them to the state-level empowered panel. Applicants seeking Indian citizenship under the CAA must apply to their respective district-level committees for consideration.However, the Act excludes individuals residing in areas governed by the Tribal Autonomous Council under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. In Tripura, this pertains to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council, which covers two-thirds of the state and is predominantly inhabited by tribal communities.Political opposition to the CAA remains robust. The CPI-M, Congress, and BJP’s ally, the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), have all voiced strong objections. TMP founder Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma raised concerns about the potential misuse of the Act, suggesting that individuals might submit false documents to claim citizenship. He emphasized the need for a stringent verification process to prevent demographic changes that could disadvantage indigenous populations.CPI-M state secretary Jitendra Choudhury, who has filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court against the CAA, warned that its implementation could destabilize the northeastern region, which has historically faced significant influxes. Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman echoed these concerns, fearing that the Act could marginalize the tribal community and reignite tribal insurgencies in Tripura.Both leaders criticized the timing of the CAA’s implementation, accusing the BJP of leveraging it for political gain ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and to distract from other issues.