Kolkata, August 25: West Bengal leader Suvendu Adhikari announced on Monday that hearings for citizenship applications under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, will soon be completed. He stated that the state government has issued certificates to 23,000 out of 230,000 applicants so far.
Addressing a press conference at the state secretariat ‘Nabanna’, Adhikari said, “We will complete the hearings for CAA soon. All eligible refugees, including new applicants and the pending 207,000 applications, will receive official certificates of Indian citizenship after the hearings are concluded.” He mentioned that necessary instructions have been sent to district magistrates.
In the meantime, Adhikari informed that Governor R.N. Ravi has approved the ‘West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026.’ This bill facilitates the arrest of those attacking police and compensates for damage to public property. A notification regarding this was also issued during the day, following its recent passage in the assembly.
He stated, “Part of this law has come into effect in West Bengal today. No leniency will be shown to anyone causing damage to government property. Compensation for damage to government property will be recovered at three times the amount, along with interest. Immediate action will be taken in case of attacks on police.”
Adhikari dismissed former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s allegations that women were not receiving benefits from the ‘Annapurna Scheme.’ He claimed that the state government has already transferred direct financial assistance to the bank accounts of over 14.6 million eligible women, asserting that the distribution was done without any political or religious discrimination.
On Monday afternoon, Banerjee went live on social media, accusing the government of imposing various conditions to deprive women of the promised doubling of benefits before the assembly elections.
Responding to her allegations, Adhikari said, “Our government does not discriminate against any religion. Approximately 1.9 million Muslim families have already received funds under this scheme.” He criticized the previous Trinamool Congress government, stating that such claims do not befit those who deceived people for political reasons.
Regarding the list of eligible and ineligible individuals under the ‘Annapurna Scheme,’ Adhikari mentioned that investigations are being conducted as per government regulations. He noted that around 450,000 women have lodged complaints regarding their applications, and each complaint is being thoroughly investigated, with actions taken accordingly.
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