By TC News Desk
Agartala, 6th September 2025: CPI(M) Politburo member and Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury has strongly criticized the Union Home Ministry’s recent decision to extend the cut-off date under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to December 31, 2024, calling it a move that violates constitutional principles and deepens societal divisions.
Addressing reporters on Saturday, Chaudhury alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is “conspiring to widen the path of division” by enacting laws that, in his view, are “extra-constitutional” and based on religious identity. “No law in this country should be founded on religion,” he asserted, adding that the CAA contradicts the secular framework of the Indian Constitution.
The Ministry of Home Affairs recently notified that refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan belonging to six minority communities—Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians—who entered India on or before the new cut-off date will be eligible for citizenship, even without valid travel documents. Chaudhury argued that this exemption undermines efforts to identify illegal infiltration, especially in border states like Tripura.
“Infiltration has occurred in the past and continues despite BSF deployment and fencing,” he said. He further alleged that certain government officials are facilitating the entry of infiltrators by issuing documents in exchange for bribes. “Instead of curbing this, the government has extended the CAA cut-off by ten years, making it impossible to track illegal entries,” Chaudhury claimed.
He warned that the extension could be politically motivated, aimed at influencing voter demographics ahead of upcoming elections. “This is not about humanitarian concern—it’s about crossing the voting line,” he said.
Calling for public mobilization, Chaudhury urged citizens to demand the immediate repeal of the CAA. “If this law is not withdrawn, it will lead to dangerous divisions among the people,” he cautioned.
The CAA, passed in December 2019 and implemented in March 2024, has faced widespread criticism for excluding Muslim refugees and allegedly undermining India’s secular ethos. The latest extension has reignited political debate, with opposition leaders accusing the BJP of using citizenship policy as an electoral tool.
