The Trinamool and the Bengal Congress spoke in one voice against the Narendra Modi government’s decision to relax the norms for persecuted minorities from the neighbouring countries under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Both the Congress and the Trinamool described the move as a “diversionary tactic” ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls in Bengal.

The home ministry had issued an order on September 1 allowing persecuted non-Muslim minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who had entered India before December 31, 2024 would be allowed to stay even without valid documents.

“A person belonging to a minority community in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan – Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians – who were compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution or fear of religious persecution and entered the country on or before December 31, 2024 without valid documents, including a passport or other travel documents, and the validity of such documents have expired” will be exempted from the rule of possessing a valid passport and visa,” reported PTI quoting the order.

The CAA came into effect last year before the Lok Sabha polls allowing persecuted minorities from these countries to get Indian citizenship.

The Parliament had enacted the law in 2019.

The opposition parties allege the Narendra Modi government is trying to push the relaxation in the citizenship rules ahead of the Assembly polls in Bengal and Assam.

Bengal industries minister and Trinamool spokesperson Shashi Panja said the party was committed in its opposition to the CAA and the National Register of Citizens.

“Our leaders Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee have reiterated CAA and NRC will not be implemented in Bengal. This is nothing but diversionary tactic employed by the BJP, like they are trying to bring NRC using the special intensive revision of electoral rolls. We will continue to oppose it” said Panja.

Trinamool spokesperson and former Rajya Sabha MP Kunal Ghosh said the BJP had run out of issues.

“The BJP has denied Bengal its financial dues, they have attacked the Bengali language and the people from Bengal. They are fully aware people of Bengal are fuming against them. They cannot talk of development that is why they are bringing in these issues,” said Ghosh.

The president of the Bengal Congress unit Shubhankar Sarkar said the move announced by the Union home ministry reeks of desperation.

“Before the Assembly polls of 2026 they have run out of issues. There is no Article 370, no Ram Mandir. So they are bringing in non-issues like CAA extension, abuse of PM’s mother. Who can trust these people with their documents? In Assam, Hindus and Muslims alike were sent to detention camps,” Sarkar said.