Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur recently announced that he plans to apply for citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
In an effort to address purported misinformation surrounding the Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019, which recently took effect, Union Minister Shantanu Thakur has announced his intention to apply for citizenship as a symbolic gesture.
The Citizenship Amendment Act, passed by the BJP-led government at the Centre in 2019, seeks to provide Indian citizenship to persecuted migrants belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian communities from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. These migrants must have entered India before December 31, 2014.
Who Is Shantanu Thakur?
Shantanu Thakur, a member of the Matua community, is the grandson of Pramatha Ranjan Thakur, a notable figure who migrated to India after the partition. Representing the Bongaon constituency, which predominantly comprises members of the Matua community in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, Shantanu Thakur serves as a BJP Member of Parliament.
Shantanu Thakur has served as a Member of the Lok Sabha for Bangaon since 2019. Following the Cabinet reshuffle on July 7, 2021, he took on the Union Minister of State role in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) Questions His Ministerial Post
On Sunday, TMC leader Bratya Basu remarked that if Shantanu Thakur has been a citizen and held a ministerial position for the past five years, it raises questions about the necessity of seeking citizenship again.
Another Trinamool Minister, Chandrima Bhattacharya, also raised concerns about Thakur's statement. "We are awaiting Shantanu Thakur's application because as soon as he applies, his ministership is forfeited since he is no longer a citizen of India...," she was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Thakur, whose ancestors hailed from Bangladesh, expressed his intention to apply for citizenship through the law recently enacted by the central government.
"I will apply because of the propaganda, what Mamata Banerjee is doing. I want to see if I can be deprived of facilities after applying for citizenship," stated the Minister of State for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways.
He also accused the Trinamool Congress of spreading fear among the public regarding the CAA.
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