TMC TO INTRODUCE ANTI-CAA RESOLUTION ON JANUARY 27

KOLKATA: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) will introduce a resolution in the state assembly on January 27 demanding the withdrawal of the amended citizenship act, Bengal’s parliamentary affairs minister Partha Chatterjee said on Tuesday.

On Monday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee followed Kerala and Punjab, saying her government too would pass a resolution in the assembly.

“We took this initiative long ago. However it (the resolution) was not placed in the assembly since another bill was ready for discussion. Today, I called up leader of the opposition Abdul Mannan (of the Congress) and sought his cooperation. We believe that all parties will stand by us on this issue,” Chatterjee told reporters.

Census anyway releases aggregated language and migration data. And the place and date of birth of parents have no bearing on policy-making.

“The NPR schedule hasn’t been finalised. However, internally, there were reservations to including language data and also seeking information on the birthplace of parents,” an official who did not want to be named said.

Meanwhile, the Union home ministry took to Twitter on Tuesday to say that violating the Census Act, 1948, can attract penal action. “While confidentiality about your data is guaranteed by Census Act, 1948, the same law specifies a penalty for both public and census officials for non-compliance or violation of any provision of the Act,” the MHA said.

Officials clarified that the provision for penalising for not cooperating with Census has always existed, but never used. “We prefer to seek the cooperation of people,” a second senior official who did not want to be named said.