The Punjab Assembly on Friday passed a resolution demanding to scrap of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
After the Kerala government, Punjab becomes the second state to pass a resolution against the CAA.
State Minister Brahm Mohindra moved the resolution against the CAA on the second day of the two-day special Assembly session.
“The CAA enacted by Parliament has caused countrywide anguish and social unrest with widespread protests all over the country. The state of Punjab also witnessed protests against this legislation, which were peaceful and involved all segments of our society,” Mohindra said while reading out the resolution.
The Amarinder Singh-led government had on Tuesday said it will proceed according to the “will of the House” on the issue of CAA, National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR).
Singh had recently said his government would not allow the implementation of the “brazenly divisive CAA”.
After a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, his colleagues in the ministry had expressed concern over the implications of the “blatantly unconstitutional and divisive CAA, NRC and NPR.”
Singh had said neither he nor the Congress was against granting citizenship to minorities persecuted on the basis of religion but they were completely opposed to the “discrimination in the CAA against certain religious communities, including Muslims”.
“Congress party has given a responsibility to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to coordinate with Congress ruling states and states where Congress is in alliance to draft resolution to be passed in respective Assemblies against CAA and NRC,” the Congress said.
The states of West Bengal, Kerala and Punjab had opposed the bill from the time it was passed in the month of December. Amarinder Singh had expressed his opposition to the act on social media earlier. He had described CAB as a direct assault on India’s secular character,
Amarinder Singh said, his government will not let the legislation be implemented in Punjab. “We have a majority in the Assembly, and will block the Bill. We will not let it rip apart the secular fabric of the country, whose strength lies in its diversity,” he said.
“It is the duty of an elected government to safeguard the cherished values ingrained in the Constitution and not destroy them. How can you leave out a large section of the Indian population from the protection they have been getting since we declared India a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic, assuring its citizens justice, equality and liberty,” Singh said.
