Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has been hitting out the Modi regime by bowling out the laws passed by the Union government through passing resolutions in the state assembly. Days after adopting such a resolution against the three contentious farm laws, the Stalin-led Tamil Nadu government has on Wednesday passed a resolution against yet another controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The DMK had been staunchly voicing against these controversial laws when the party was in the opposition and after coming to power, it has been passing resolutions to repeal such laws. 

On Wednesday, the Tamil Nadu Assembly has passed a resolution against the CAA amid the protests carried out by the BJP. The resolution was moved by Chief Minister MK Stalin and speaking on the resolution, he said that the CAA is against the constitutional secular principles and would not be good for religious harmony in the nation. The resolution has noted that the CAA divides refugees based on their religion and country of origin. As the resolution against Modi's law was tabled, the BJP MLAs had walked out of the assembly and the ADMK MLAs had also staged a walkout. 

MK Stalin said, "Democracy states that a country's administration should take under consideration the thoughts and emotions of the entire people. But this Citizenship Amendment Act is discriminating refugees under religion and country of origin, instead of accepting them." He added that the CAA is refusing the possibility of Sri Lankan Tamils obtaining citizenship here in India. By adopting the resolution, Tamil Nadu has joined the club of states that had passed similar resolutions against the CAA. 

Earlier, the states like West Bengal, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh (then ruled by Congress) had passed resolutions against the CAA. Several political leaders in Tamil Nadu had welcomed MK Stalin's move of passing the resolution and Congress MP Jothimani said, "20 lakh Hindus and 16 lakh Islam people had become refugees in Assam due to this act. While it gives citizenship to Hindus from (neighbouring) countries, it doesn't guarantee citizenship for the Sri Lankan Tamils. It is in the continuation of betrayal against the Tamil people and it should not be allowed." 

After staging a walkout from the assembly, BJP MLA Nainar Nagendran, who is the party's chief in the assembly, had addressed the reporters during which he said, "CAA is against Indian Muslims. We are still following unity in diversity. But, when Pakistan had attained Independence, the percentage of Hindus was 20 per cent and now it is only three per cent." Another BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan said that the CAA is governed by the Central government and the ruling DMK government has passed the resolution to placate the minority community. 

Vanathi, who is also the President of BJP Mahila Morcha, has said, "They (DMK) are misleading the minority community and today, they had tabled the resolution appealing to the Central government to annul CAA. Tamil Nadu BJP legislative members are boycotting the resolution." Replying to the question about the citizenship for Sri Lankan Tamils, she said that the CAA is for only three countries with Islam as a state religion, which is not the issue with Sri Lanka. 

The Modi-led Union government has passed the CAA in December 2019 and the act allows non-Muslim minorities in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan - Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian to secure Indian citizenship after they fled their home countries owing to the religious persecution. Under the act, people from these communities who came to India before December 31, 2014, as refugees from these three countries will not be treated as illegal immigrants but they will be given Indian citizenship. The contentious act had sparked nationwide outrage and protests as the opposition parties, activists, and minority groups had agitated against the act of providing citizenship based on religion.

Chief Minister MK Stalin took to social media and shared the video of tabling the resolution against the CAA in the assembly. He wrote, "Our motherland sees unity in diversity and it is a secular democratic country where the people who suffer ethnic-religious-linguistic oppression will seek refuge. Can religion and ethnicity be obstacles in providing citizenship to those who come with hope? I have proposed the resolution to annul the CAA." 

இன-மத-மொழி ஒடுக்குமுறைகளால் அல்லல்படும் மக்கள் அடைக்கலம் தேடிவரும் மதச்சார்பற்ற மக்களாட்சி நாடு, வேற்றுமையில் ஒற்றுமை காணும் நம் தாய்த்திருநாடு!

நம்பிவரும் மக்களுக்குக் குடியுரிமை வழங்க மதமும் இனமும் தடையாக இருக்கலாமா?#CAA2019-ஐ இரத்து செய்யக்கோரும் தீர்மானத்தை முன்மொழிந்தேன். pic.twitter.com/EcAL8TThqs

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) September 8, 2021