Political divide over CAA widens as Bengal assembly passes resolution
3 min read 28 Jan 2020, 07:40 AM ISTState joins Kerala, Punjab and Rajasthan in passing a resolution against the citizenship amendment Act'The CAA is anti-people, anti-constitutional.... We want this law to be repealed immediately,' said Mamata Banerjee
PremiumWest Bengal on Monday became the fourth Opposition-ruled state to pass a resolution rejecting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA, which was passed by Parliament.
The resolution of the Trinamool Congress government, spearheaded by the party’s chairperson and chief minister Mamata Banerjee, comes just four days ahead of the budget session of Parliament and widens the political divide on the country over the legislation.
The Parliament session is expected to be a stormy affair with the Opposition parties taking on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre over CAA.
Congress-ruled Punjab and Rajasthan, and Kerala, where the Left parties are in power, have already passed resolutions against CAA. At least two other key Congress-led states, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, are working out the finer details of bringing similar resolutions.
“The CAA is anti-people, anti-constitutional.... We want this law to be repealed immediately," Banerjee said on Monday, urging Opposition parties such as the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM, should put aside differences and join forces on the issue. “The time has come to forget our narrow differences and fight together to save the country," she said.
Later on Monday evening, senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra led a party delegation and moved the National Human Rights Commission demanding action against alleged police atrocities on anti-CAA protesters during protests in Uttar Pradesh.
“A delegation of Congress leaders presented the NHRC with evidence of the atrocities against the citizens of UP by the state govt., which has gone to war against its own people. The NHRC must act decisively to protect the idea of India & the Constitutional rights of our citizens," Rahul Gandhi tweeted after the meeting.
The upping of ante by Opposition parties over CAA comes at a time when some of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners have also spoken against the CAA. This includes Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, who is also the president of the Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), one of the oldest allies of the BJP. The JD(U) has supported the BJP on CAA. However, Kumar has categorically stated that the state government under him is not inclined to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Bihar. Besides, some JD(U) members have also openly spoken against CAA, despite their party supporting it.
The government, however, defended its position on the legislation.
“CAA followed all democratic process before it became a law. Still, some people are sitting on protest by blocking roads, not permitting even school buses and ambulances to pass through that road and causing massive inconvenience to the public," Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told the media on Monday.
“CAA neither gives nor takes away the citizenship of any Indian citizen, as said repeatedly. Opponents of CAA have not been able to show one clause of this law which affects any Indian citizen. Muslims of India have been living here with dignity and will continue to live here with dignity," Prasad said. “Is freedom of speech only for those few people who have kept the road blocked in Shaheen Bagh? What about rights of those who are silently withstanding the difficulties and inconvenience as school buses, ambulances and vehicles are not being allowed to pass through that area?" asked the minister.
The impact of the nationwide protests against CAA has been such that the BJP is trying to gather support in its favour before the Delhi assembly elections. The result of the assembly elections will be announced while the budget session of Parliament is on, and is likely to impact the functioning of Parliament during the session.
gyan.v@livemint.com
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