Sparks fly in Assembly over CAA, Oppn walks out

The issue triggered heated debate in the House, with the Opposition Leader and DMK president MK Stalin and Deputy leader Duraimurugan demanding a resolution against CAA, resulting in repeated interventions by Ministers.

The Opposition staged a walkout again crying foul against Speaker P Dhanapal for not allowing them to voice their views against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

During zero hour, Stalin sought to raise the issue and referred to the private resolution mooted by the DMK. Stalin urged Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to follow the chief ministers of other states. Andhra Pradesh CM Jaganmohan Reddy and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar have voiced their concern against the CAA and the neighbouring Kerala Assembly had adopted a resolution against the implementation of CAA, Stalin said insisting on a debate on the issue.

When School Education Minister KA Sengottaiyan speaking in the House said that the AIADMK regime always protect the Muslims, Stalin retorted, if it was so, then the AIADMK should have voted against the CAA in the Rajya Sabha. Intervening, Udhayakumar said the CAA has only became an Act and it was yet to be implemented and the Centre has assured that none of the Muslims in India will be affected. It was the Opposition which was instilling fear in the minds of the minorities with false campaign and imaginary apprehensions, he added.

To this, Duraimurugan said the DMK was not opposed to CAA, but only the amendments and sought to know why Sri Lankan Refugees and Muslims were not included in it. “If you (AIADMK) had supported it after including them, this problem would not have arisen,” he added. Pitching in, Stalin said CAA had ignored the Eelam Tamils and also Muslims and Chief Ministers of several states, besides AIADMK’s former MP Anwar Raja have opposed the CAA, to which Municipal Administration Minister SP Velumani said only after the Chief Minister got an assurance from Home Minister Amit Shah that none of the Muslims in the state would be affected, the AIADMK supported it.Responding, Udhayakumar saidsought to know why DMK, which was part of the Centre when P Chidambaram was the Home Minister did not get dual citizenship for Lankan refugees and accused the DMK of shedding crocodile tears.

He also asked the Oppositionto show whether any single person was affected by the CAA to which Duraimurugan said, “you bring in a resolution likeKerala as demanded by Stalin, we will appreciate it.”

The SDPI would take out a rally to the Raj Bhavan on January 18, in protest against the CAA, NPR and NCR, which had reportedly targeted the Muslims living in India, said state president Nellai Mubarak here on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters, Mubarak said, the SDPI has been continuing to protest against the CAA, NPR and NCR that has been amended by the BJP-led Centre, which has not only targeted the Muslims but also the Sri Lankan Tamils who have settled in India.