Stalin Gov't in Tamil Nadu Passes Resolution Against India's Controversial Citizenship Law
14:25 GMT 08.09.2021 (Updated: 10:39 GMT 19.07.2022)
© AFP 2023 / ARUN SANKARChief Minister-elect of Tamil Nadu MK Stalin of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party, gestures as he delivers a speech during a press conference after winning the Tamil Nadu State election, at the memorial of his father and late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi, in Chennai, on May 2, 2021.
© AFP 2023 / ARUN SANKAR
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The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led federal government passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in December 2019. It allows “persecuted” non-Muslim immigrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh who arrived in India before 2014 to gain Indian citizenship.
A resolution against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was passed by the Tamil Nadu state assembly on Wednesday.
State chief M. K. Stalin moved the resolution, asking the federal government to protect and ensure unity and communal harmony in the country by repealing the law.
Resolution passed in Tamilnadu Assembly against #CAA.@CMOTamilnadu said that #CAA is against secularism and is segregating refugees based on religion and country of origin. pic.twitter.com/WIB5jMHjyN
— Pramod Madhav (@PramodMadhav6) September 8, 2021
Stalin said the law is against the constitutional secular principles and would not be good for religious harmony in the nation.
"Democracy states that a country's administration should take under consideration the thoughts and emotions of the entire people. But this Citizenship Amendment Act is discriminating refugees under religion and country of origin, instead of accepting them", said Stalin.
He added that the CAA is snatching away the possibility of Sri Lankan Tamils gaining citizenship.
Passing a resolution against the CAA was one of the poll promises of the Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the governing party of Tamil Nadu.
The main opposition party of the state, the All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), staged a walkout against the resolution. The AIADMK alleged that they were not given an opportunity to raise "people’s issues".
Opposing the resolution, @BJP4TamilNadu stages walkout after claiming that #CAA is not against Indian Muslims. https://t.co/DGmaP8iVdi
— Pramod Madhav (@PramodMadhav6) September 8, 2021
The CAA aims to fast-track citizenship for six minority communities – Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Christians from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. It is viewed as contentious, as Muslims point out that it excludes people of their faith.