Kolkata, March 11 (IANS): With the Central government on Monday issuing the notification for Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the BJP unit in West Bengal expressed happiness over the development, while the ruling Trinamool Congress played safe while reacting on the matter.

West Bengal unit Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president and Lok Sabha member Sukanta Majumdar said that the CAA is meant for "granting citizenship" and "not snatching citizenship".

Criticising West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the BJP leader said: "CM Banerjee has been trying to mislead Muslims claiming that CAA was meant to snatch citizenship. She had questioned why the notification was announced before the Lok Sabha elections.

"Had it been announced before, her party would have disturbed its implementation by misleading the Muslims again. However, soon the model code of conduct will be in place and everything will come under the control of the Election Commission."

BJP legislator Ashok Kirtania said that the CAA notification had relieved the people of the Matua community from the curse that they had been facing for such a long time.

"The curse was imposed on them first by Congress and subsequently by its ally - Trinamool Congress, who aggravated that. Now, they are relieved," Kirtania said. Another BJP legislator, Shankar Ghosh, said that the notification is "really a welcome move".

While BJP leaders sounded elated, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee played safe, as she said that she will "oppose CAA if there is discrimination against any religion or caste" in the notification.

Meanwhile, as soon as the news of the CAA notification by the Central government surfaced, a wave of joy swept Thakurnagar in Bangaon subdivision of North 24 Parganas district, which is considered to be the hub of the people of Matua -- a backward community from neighbouring Bangladesh who had been living in West Bengal for long.

"We are really happy. We came to India from Bangladesh after facing tremendous oppression and humiliation there. So this is a great day for us," said Shoma Bala, a woman from the Matua community.

Pijush Gosain, a representative from Matua Mahasangha said that the CAA notification has finally ended the long wait of the people of the community for a solid base under their feet.

"We are grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this," he said.