Puducherry Assembly adopts resolution against CAA, NPR, NRC
Puducherry, Feb 12: The Congress-ruled Puducherry on Wednesday adopted an Assembly resolution against the controversial amended Citizenship Act, becoming the first union territory in the country to say no to the law.
Earlier, states including Kerala and West Bengal, whose Chief Ministers Pinarayi Vijayan and Mamata Banerjee, respectively, are at the forefront of anti-CAA movements, had adopted Assembly resolutions against the Act.
Amidst an opposition boycott, the one-day special session of the territorial Assembly adopted the resolution tabled by Chief Minister V Narayanasamy.
Bengal becomes 4th state to pass resolution against Citizenship Act
It also registered strong protest against the National Register of Citizens and National Population Register.
Members of the opposition AINRC and AIADMK boycotted the session while the three nominated BJP legislators staged a walk out after registering their objection to the tabling of the resolution.
As soon as Narayansamy started reading out the contents of the resolution, BJP members V Saminathan, K G Shankar and S Selvaganapthy were up on their feet and objected to the moving of the resolution.
They were heard saying the resolution was a "murder of democracy" and "violation of constitutional provisions."
They later trooped out of the House and did not return for the rest of the session. The resolution urged the Centre to withdraw the CAA as it was "totally opposed to the principles of secularism."
It was passed after the Chief Minister, his cabinet colleagues and legislators belonging to the Congress and its ally the DMK spoke on the resolution. Speaker V P Sivakolundhu said the resolution was "adopted unanimously." The resolution stated that the CAA had caused "pain and chaos" among the people at large in the country.
The enactment of the legislation in the Parliament had created "peaceful agitations across the country," it added.
Kerala Assembly resolution against CAA has no legal validity: Governor
The
CAA
was
shattering
to
pieces
the
principles
of
secularism
which
is
the
basis
of
the
constitution,
it
said.
Claiming
that
there
was
a
hidden
agenda
in
the
CAA
as
the
Muslims
were
ignored,
it
said
the
law
was
"totally
injurious"
to
the
great
sacrifices
made
by
Mahatma
Gandhi
for
protection
of
secularism.
The
resolution
alleged
that
certain
forces
were
trying
to
introduce
religious
sentiments
by
forgetting
the
path
shown
by
the
first
Indian
Prime
Minister,
the
late
Jawaharlal
Nehru.
"If there was any space available for the divisive forces it would only mean that a historic blunder would be committed, hitting the cardinal principles of secularism (and) the great sacrifices made by martyrs and freedom fighters of the country."
The resolution also expressed disappointment over the CAA not including the Sri Lankan Tamils, staying at various places and in refugee camps in the neighbouring Tamil Nadu, for Indian citizenship.
Similarly, the Rohingya Muslims living as refugees in northern states of the country and have also not been included in the Act, it added. The resolution urged the Centre to withdraw the CAA, the NRC and the NPR.