EU to debate anti-CAA resolution, voting delayed till March

New Delhi, Jan 29: In a diplomatic victory for India, it was decided that there will be no voting on the European resolution on the Citizenship Amendment Act on Thursday, government sources said.

Six political groups of members of the European Parliament had moved a joint resolution against India's citizenship law, calling it discriminatory. The sources said friends of India prevailed over those of Pakistan in the European Parliament on Wednesday.

"Strenuous efforts of outgoing British MEP Shaffaq Mohammad to have a resolution passed by the European Parliament against India on the penultimate day before Brexit were defeated," a source said.

The government has been maintaining that CAA is a matter internal to India and it was adopted following a due process through democratic means. We expect that our perspectives in this matter will be understood by all objective and fair-minded MEPs, the sources said.

The reason behind the postponement of the vote is unconfirmed but will come as a boost to the Indian government's efforts against such a motion being voted on by the European Parliament.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday wrote to European Parliament President David Maria Sassoli over the resolutions, saying it is inappropriate for one legislature to pass judgement on another and the practice can be misused by vested interests.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu had also reiterated India's stand, saying there is no scope for outside interference in the country's internal matters.