Calling the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) ‘a law that is completely unwarranted,’ Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Tuesday asserted that the contentious citizenship law shall not be implemented in the southern state.
“There is not going to be any use or benefits due to the CAA, which only paves the way for creating divisions among the Indian people. The stand of the (state) government is that this law is completely unwarranted; it is one that must be repealed," Stalin said in a press release.
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The chief minister, who also heads the state's ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), further stated: “Tamil Nadu government will not give any opportunity in any manner to implement the CAA, which is also against pluralism, secularism, minority communities, and the Sri Lankan Tamil refugees.”
He also questioned the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for notifying CAA rules ‘in a haste,’ on the eve of Lok Sabha polls, that are likely to take place in April-May.
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{{/usCountry}}He also questioned the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for notifying CAA rules ‘in a haste,’ on the eve of Lok Sabha polls, that are likely to take place in April-May.
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{{/usCountry}}In a sudden development on Monday, the Centre's Narendra Modi government notified CAA rules, more than four years after the Parliament, in December 2019, passed the legislation that seeks to fast-track Indian citizenship for minorities from three neighbouring countries, each a Muslim-majority nation (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan).
The eligibility criteria is that the refugees must have come to India before or on December 31, 2014.
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Opposition parties, critics, and activists, however, say that CAA ‘discriminates’ against Muslims, a claim that has been repeatedly rejected by the BJP-led central government. The legislation's passage had sparked nationwide protests.
Meanwhile, shortly after its implementation was announced on Monday, Stalin took to X (previously Twitter) and posted: “As elections loom, Prime Minister Modi seeks to salvage his sinking ship by cynically resurrecting Citizenship Amendment Act, exploiting religious sentiments for political gain. However, the people of #INDIA will never forgive the BJP for unleashing this divisive act.”