Karnataka to implement CAA "hundred per cent": CM Yediyurappa
Bengaluru, Dec 18: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday declared that his government will "hundred per cent" implement the Citizenship Amendment Act.
"Hundred per cent we will implement," he told reporters at Hubballi in north Karnataka in response to a question regarding the implementation of the CAA.
State Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai had said on Tuesday that for "political reasons" several state governments have taken divergent views on the CAA's implementation, "but taking the constitutional position Karnataka will implement it."
"The bill to this effect has been passed by Parliament, President has given his assent, it is law now for the whole country, so it applies to Karnataka also," Bommai said.
The Home Minister expressed confidence that there will be no violence in "peace-loving" Karnataka, where police have taken precautionary measures.
Chief ministers of several states like West Bengal, Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have said they will not implement the law.
Different parts of the country witnessed violent protests against the citizenship (amendment) bill which was passed by Parliament and given assent by the President last week.
According to the Act, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014, and facing religious persecution there, will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.
The act says refugees of the six communities will be given Indian citizenship after residing in India for five years, instead of 11 years earlier.
Yediyurappa on Wednesday also welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict dismissing a convict's review plea in the Nirbhaya case.
"Death penalty to Nirbhaya's murderers is a welcome thing.....this decision was an alarm bell for those indulging in such crimes," he said.
The Supreme Court has dismissed the plea filed by one of the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, seeking review of its 2017 judgment upholding his death penalty.
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BJP will form govt in Bengal with thumping majority: Nabin
Mirzapur (UP) (PTI): BJP president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday voiced confidence that his party will form the government in West Bengal with a "thumping majority".
Polling is underway for 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, covering key districts, including Kolkata, Howrah and North and South 24 Parganas.
The high-stakes contest is being seen as decisive for the ruling TMC's bid for a fourth consecutive term and the BJP's push to form its first government in the state. The first phase held on April 23 recorded a high voter turnout of over 93 per cent, reflecting intense electoral engagement.
Speaking to reporters in Mirzapur, Nabin said, "The BJP will form the government in Bengal. We are winning the elections with a massive majority."
Earlier in the day, the BJP chief visited the Vindhyavasini temple and offered prayers. The rituals were conducted by his priest Acharya Agastya Kumar Dwivedi.
On his first visit to the district after assuming office, Nabin was welcomed by party workers at several places. At the temple, he was received by city MLA Ratnakar Mishra and District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Gangwar, who felicitated him with a traditional 'angvastram'.
After offering prayers for about 10 minutes amid Vedic chants, Nabin held a meeting at a hotel with local MLAs, including Mishra, Majhwan MLA Suchismita Maurya and Madihan MLA Ramashankar Patel.
Patel said Nabin emphasised strengthening the organisation and asked public representatives to focus on serving people in their respective constituencies.
Several party leaders, including district president Lal Bahadur Saroj, district vice-president Gaurav Umar, municipal chairperson Shyam Sundar Kesari, women workers and senior officials, were present on the occasion.
Elaborate security arrangements were put in place by the district administration for the visit, with multiple officers of circle officer rank deployed, officials said.
