Assembly Adopts Resolution Against CAA

The Telangana Legislative Assembly today passed a resolution against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and urged the Centre to amend it in order to "remove all references to any religion or to any foreign country".

The resolution further said: "This House expresses concern over the proposed implementation of NPR and NRC (of the Centre), which may result in exclusion of large number of people."

The resolution also urged the state government to take all necessary steps to safeguard the people of the state from exercises such as the NPR and the NRC.

The lone BJP member Raja Singh created a ruckus in the house as he stormed into the podium and tore off the copy of the resolution against the CAA. Following this, Legislature Affairs minister V Prashant Reddy urged Speaker P Srinivas Reddy to remove the un-parliamentary words of Singh from records.

Except the BJP, all parties, including the Congress and the MIM, extended support to the resolution against the CAA.

Earlier, Leader of the House and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao moved the resolution urging the Centre to revoke the three acts in the larger interests of the people of the country. KCR slammed the BJP-led Modi government in the Centre for coming up with the "communal and biased CAA, NPR and NRC that would deprive people of their rights and the freedom bestowed upon them by the Constitution of India". The Chief Minister attributed the Centre's move to divisive politics.

"There have been concerted attempts to tinker with the inclusive and non-religious nature of Indian citizenship through the CAA, the NPR and the NRC. Besides violating the principles of equity, non-discrimination and secularism, these attempts will also endanger the lives of vulnerable groups who do not possess adequate documentary proof of citizenship. Moreover, there are serious questions as to the legality and constitutionality of the CAA, the NPR and the NRC," KCR said.

Everyone was opposing the CAA including intellectuals, poets and the educated classes, and some prominent citizens had even returned awards they had received, protesting the act, KCR claimed.

Congress member Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said that leaders like KCR, Akbaruddin Owaisi and himself, and many others, could be put into detention centres due to the Centre's move. The state government needed to issue a GO against the CAA, the NPR and the NRC and ensure the continuation of the freedoms and rights envisaged in the Constitution, else it would be a problem for all, he said.

MIM member Akbaruddin Owaisi lashed out at the Modi government for mooting the CAA, the NPR and the NRC. He opposed the Centre for its "communal divide and rule policy". CAA, NPR and NRC would deny and deprive the citizens of the country of their rights, he claimed.

Raja Singh said that the state government was cheating the people by opposing the CAA. "I will leave the MLA post and Telangana if it is proved that CAA causes any inconvenience to the people," he said.