<p>India this week implemented the contentious 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), sparking sporadic protests and a war of words between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and opposition groups weeks before national elections are held.</p><p>Here is a look at the law, its implications and the concerns surrounding it.</p><p><strong>What is the CAA?</strong></p><p>The CAA fast-tracks citizenship for persecuted Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians who fled to India before December 31, 2014 from Muslim-majority Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh due to religious persecution.</p><p>The enactment of the law by Modi-led BJP government in 2019 triggered massive protests and sectarian violence in which scores were killed, including in capital New Delhi, forcing authorities to delay its implementation.</p>.DH Toon | CAA.. Anything to distract..!.<p><strong>Why has the act run into controversy?</strong></p><p>Muslim groups, opposition parties and rights activists say the law discriminates against Muslims and undermines the country's secular constitution. Some also question why it does not include Muslims fleeing Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka and Myanmar.</p><p>In states such as Assam in the east, CAA has sparked concerns about increased migration from neighbouring Bangladesh, which has been a flashpoint in the region for decades.</p><p>On the other hand, some Muslims in Assam and West Bengal fear that the law, combined with a proposed National Register of Citizens, could be used to declare them illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and take away their citizenship.</p><p>Leaders of some opposition parties have termed the legislation "communal and divisive".</p>.BJP’s CAA gambit has enthused Matuas, but it could be problematic.<p>The US government and the United Nations have expressed concerns, with the UN calling CAA "fundamentally discriminatory in nature".</p><p><strong>What has the reaction been to the implementation of the law?</strong></p><p>Sporadic protests broke out in some parts of the country, including Assam and the southern state of Tamil Nadu, although there have been no reports of damage or violence.</p><p>Some chief ministers have refused to implement the law in their states.</p><p><strong>How has the government responded?</strong></p><p>The government has denied it is anti-Muslim and said CAA is "only for those who have suffered persecution for years and have no other shelter in the world except India".</p><p>The government has said protests against the law are politically motivated and spurred by misconceptions, adding that the law is only meant to grant citizenship, not revoke it.</p><p><strong>Can CAA have political implications?</strong></p><p>The law was a key promise in the BJP's 2019 election manifesto and has been implemented weeks before Modi seeks a rare third term.</p><p>Opposition leaders have questioned the timing of the move, saying it is aimed at polarising voters on religious lines.</p>
<p>India this week implemented the contentious 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), sparking sporadic protests and a war of words between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and opposition groups weeks before national elections are held.</p><p>Here is a look at the law, its implications and the concerns surrounding it.</p><p><strong>What is the CAA?</strong></p><p>The CAA fast-tracks citizenship for persecuted Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians who fled to India before December 31, 2014 from Muslim-majority Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh due to religious persecution.</p><p>The enactment of the law by Modi-led BJP government in 2019 triggered massive protests and sectarian violence in which scores were killed, including in capital New Delhi, forcing authorities to delay its implementation.</p>.DH Toon | CAA.. Anything to distract..!.<p><strong>Why has the act run into controversy?</strong></p><p>Muslim groups, opposition parties and rights activists say the law discriminates against Muslims and undermines the country's secular constitution. Some also question why it does not include Muslims fleeing Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka and Myanmar.</p><p>In states such as Assam in the east, CAA has sparked concerns about increased migration from neighbouring Bangladesh, which has been a flashpoint in the region for decades.</p><p>On the other hand, some Muslims in Assam and West Bengal fear that the law, combined with a proposed National Register of Citizens, could be used to declare them illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and take away their citizenship.</p><p>Leaders of some opposition parties have termed the legislation "communal and divisive".</p>.BJP’s CAA gambit has enthused Matuas, but it could be problematic.<p>The US government and the United Nations have expressed concerns, with the UN calling CAA "fundamentally discriminatory in nature".</p><p><strong>What has the reaction been to the implementation of the law?</strong></p><p>Sporadic protests broke out in some parts of the country, including Assam and the southern state of Tamil Nadu, although there have been no reports of damage or violence.</p><p>Some chief ministers have refused to implement the law in their states.</p><p><strong>How has the government responded?</strong></p><p>The government has denied it is anti-Muslim and said CAA is "only for those who have suffered persecution for years and have no other shelter in the world except India".</p><p>The government has said protests against the law are politically motivated and spurred by misconceptions, adding that the law is only meant to grant citizenship, not revoke it.</p><p><strong>Can CAA have political implications?</strong></p><p>The law was a key promise in the BJP's 2019 election manifesto and has been implemented weeks before Modi seeks a rare third term.</p><p>Opposition leaders have questioned the timing of the move, saying it is aimed at polarising voters on religious lines.</p>