C’garh passes motion against CAA, CM urges PM to scrap it
The Bhupesh Baghel Cabinet on Thursday passed a resolution aga-inst the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), terming it ‘discriminatory’, and urged the Centre to scrap it.
The Chhattisgarh Assembly is set to pass a resolution against the Act during the upcoming budget session of the House, scheduled to commence next month, state agriculture minister Ravindra Choubey said while briefing the media after the Cabinet meet.
The Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh is set to become the fifth state in the country to pass a resolution against the CAA.
Two other Congressruled states, Punjab and Rajasthan, besides Kerala and West Bengal, have already adopted resolutions against the Act, describing it discriminatory.
Mr Baghel on Thursday wrote a letter to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him ‘on behalf of people of the state’ to withdraw the CAA, describing it “discriminatory on the basis of religion even as the Act appears to be against Article 14 of the Indian Constitution”.
Mr Baghel sought to draw the PM’s attention to the lack of provisions in the Act regarding refugees from neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar who may seek citizenship of India.
Mr Baghel has already declared his opposition to CAA and NRC and announced that Chhattisgarh would not enforce them.
In his letter, Mr Baghel said Chhattisgarh has been witnessing massive protests against CAA by different sections of society. A sizeable population of Chhattisgarh lives below the poverty line and are landless, and illiterate. They may find it difficult to furnish documents required to be submitted under the Act.
Besides, the Act apparently goes against the spirit of Constitution’s fundamental structure of secularism, the letter said.
Senior BJP leader of Chhattisgarh and Rajya Sabha member Saroj Pandey slammed Mr Baghel for adoption of resolution against the CAA, saying that the chief minister should have consulted the Central Congress leader Kapil Sibal on the matter before taking such a move.
She reminded Mr Baghel that Mr Sibal has opposed the idea of passing a resolution against CAA by state legislatures.