Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday expressed confidence in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government returning to power and asserted that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is a ‘country’s law,’ and no one can prevent its implementation.

“The Citizenship (Amendment) Act is the country’s law; no one can stop it, and we will implement it,” he stated.

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Addressing a massive rally in Kolkata, West Bengal, Shah launched the party’s Lok Sabha campaign, targeting West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on issues such as appeasement, infiltration, corruption, and political violence. He urged the people to cast their votes in favour of the lotus symbol in the forthcoming polls.

“Bengal is grappling with infiltration, appeasement, political violence, and corruption… In the entire country, election-related violence is highest in Bengal. 212 BJP workers have been killed in West Bengal; people will seek justice for these murders through their votes in the 2026 assembly polls, as BJP aims to form a government with a two-thirds majority,” the minister declared.

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Addressing the issue of the CAA, Shah pointed out Mamata Banerjee’s opposition to it. He mentioned that although she opposes it, she cannot prevent its implementation. Highlighting the stalled progress of the Citizenship Amendment Act due to the central government’s delay in framing its rules and the strong opposition it faced, Shah affirmed that the intended beneficiaries of the law deserve citizenship rights as much as any other individual.

Shah proclaimed that the BJP’s success in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls would pave the way for a resounding victory in the 2026 assembly elections in the state, enabling the BJP to ascend to power with a two-thirds majority.

Citing West Bengal’s inclination towards the BJP in the upcoming assembly, Shah stated, “The people of Bengal are saying, “Didi, Aapka Samay Ab Samaapt Ho Chuka Hai” (Didi, your time is up now!).’

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Shah’s aim was to set the narrative for the party’s forthcoming Lok Sabha campaign in the state, building upon their record-breaking win of 18 out of 42 seats in 2019.

‘Citizenship Amendment Act ‘

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 seeks to facilitate the grant of citizenship to migrants belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, or Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.

The act was notified on December 12 and came into force on January 10 in 2020.