Explained: What EU resolution on CAA means for India?

New Delhi, Jan 27: A group of the European Union has proposed a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act and urged the Indian government to consider their demands to repeal it.

A total of 626 of the 751 members of the EU Parliament have denounced not only the CAA but also the issue of Kashmir in its draft resolution.

The resolution is likely to be debated in the European Parliament in Brussels next Wednesday and voted on the day after. But what exactly do these resolutions mean for India? Here is a brief explainer.

What the 6 resolutions say?

Six European Union (EU)who have passed resolution include the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) (PPE), Democrats in the European Parliament (S&D), European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR), Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance (Verts/ALE), European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) Group and Renew Europe Group (Renew).

The resolution says the new act makes a dangerous shift in the way citizenship will be determined in India and is set to create the largest statelessness crisis in the world and cause immense human suffering.

Instead of addressing the concerns, offering corrective action, calling for security forces to act with restraint and ensuring accountability, many government leaders have been engaging in efforts to discredit, rebuke and threaten the protesters, the resolution alleges.

Impact of the resolutions

If passed, the resolution may increase pressure on the Indian government at a time when the government is facing protests across the country and abroad, including key European Union (EU) members such as Germany. The EU is unhappy with the handling of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the citizenship law and the NRC implementation in Assam.

Impact on India-EU relations

The diplomatic backlash by the European lawmakers against India comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Brussels for the India-EU summit in March. The European Union may raise the issue during Modi's visit to the country. The EU has already expressed concern about the situation in Kashmir and it had also cancelled foreign delegates visit the valley.

Reports stated that some EU Ambassadors didn't want to be part of the group of envoys visiting Kashmir as they felt "certain restrictions in the programme were unfounded and mischievous".

Earlier it was reported that certain European envoys were not keen on a "guided tour" of the region and rather wanted to meet the people and interact with them.

India's largest trading partner, EU accounts for 92 billion euros worth of trade in goods in 2018 or 12.9 per cent of total Indian trade. The union is also a key source of inward FDI, which was worth 5 billion euros in 2014.

How has India reacted?

India has said the CAA was an entirely internal matter of India and that the legislation was adopted through democratic means after a debate in both houses of Parliament.

"Every society that fashions a pathway to naturalisation contemplates both a context and criteria. This is not discrimination. In fact, European societies have followed the same approach," a government source said, explaining why India is opposed to the resolutions at the EU parliament.

New Delhi also hoped that the "sponsors and supporters" of the resolutions will engage with the government to get a full and accurate assessment of facts before they proceed further, the sources said.

The beneficiaries of the new legislation are the oppressed minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan.

India is facing a major backlash with opposition parties, civil rights groups and activists saying granting citizenship based on religion is against the foundational principle of the Constitution.