Punjab Assembly’s resolution against CAA

Calling the Citizenship (Amendment) Act “inherently discriminatory”, the Punjab Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution seeking its immediate repeal, and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced that his government would approach the Supreme Court against it, the second state after Kerala

to do so.

The opposition Shiromani Akali Dal, an ally of the BJP, opposed the resolution in its present form, but asserted that it would not back a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC). The ruling Congress, main opposition Aam Aadmi Party and the Lok Insaaf Party supported the resolution saying the law would “spoil the secular fabric of the country”, but the BJP opposed it. Contending that the Act was a “negation of the secular fabric on the Constitution”, the Assembly passed the resolution, moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra, by voice vote after three hours of discussion. The Kerala Assembly was the first to pass a resolution against the amended Citizenship Act.

Kerala has also moved the Supreme Court against the law.

The CAA provides for granting citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, who had migrated to India before December 31, 2014 from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. CM Singh said the Centre would have to make the necessary amendments to the CAA if it had to be implemented in Punjab and other states opposing the legislation.

“Like Kerala, our government will also approach the Supreme Court on the issue”, he later told reporters outside the Assembly. In response to a question, he made it clear that the census in Punjab would be conducted on the old parameters.

The new factors added by the Centre for the purpose of the National Population Register (NPR) would not be included, he said.

The SAD demanded changes in the resolution seeking inclusion of Muslim in the list of communities that would be granted citizenship under the amended law, but it was disallowed by the Speaker. SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said, “On NRC issue, SAD will be against it and not support it as common people will be hassled standing in queues to prove their citizenship.” Opposing the resolution, BJP MLA Arun Narang said, “The new law is not going to take anyone's citizenship away, this has been made clear time and again.” In the Assembly, CM Singh described the Act as against “secular fabric of the counry” and said events unfolding now were similar to the ones witnessed in Europe when Adolf Hitler was at the helm in Germany.