Chandigarh: Shortly after the Punjab Assembly passed a resolution by voice vote against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday said his government, like Kerala, will approach the Supreme Court on the issue.
The Assembly passed the resolution by voice vote against the CAA, the second state after Kerala to do so.
The Kerala Assembly earlier passed a resolution demanding the scrapping of the controversial law, becoming the first state to do so. It had asked the Centre to cancel the legislation that has triggered countrywide protests. The resolution was supported by all the MLAs, except the BJP's O Rajagopal.
The Punjab chief minister on Friday said the Centre will have to make necessary amendments to the CAA if it has to be implemented in Punjab and other states opposed to the legislation.
"Like Kerala, our government will also approach the Supreme Court on the issue," Singh said outside the state Assembly.
In response to a question, Singh made it clear that the Census 2021 will be conducted on old parameters in the state. The new factors added by the Centre for the purpose of the National Population Register (NPR) will not be included, he added.
The resolution moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra was passed after over three hours of discussion.
While the ruling Congress and the main opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supported the resolution, the BJP opposed it.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) sought inclusion of Muslims in the list of communities that could be granted citizenship under the amended law.
The CAA provides for granting citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, who had migrated to India before December 31, 2014, from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It excludes members of the Muslim community.
(With inputs from PTI)
Comments
0 comment