Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution demanding scrapping of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act, amid raging countrywide protests against the legislation.
The ruling CPI(M)-LDF and the Opposition Congress led UDF supported the resolution while BJP's lone MLA and former Union minister O Rajagopal's was the only dissenting voice in the one-day special session.
The house adopted the resolution moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Though the one-day special session was convened to ratify the extension of the reservation for SC and ST in the Assembly and the Parliament for another decade, the resolution against CAA was also taken up in view of the the widespread concerns among public in this regard, official sources said.
While presenting the resolution, the chief minister said the CAA was against the "secular" outlook and fabric of the country and would lead to religion- based discrimination in granting citizenship.
"The Act contradicts the basic values and principles of the Constitution. In view of the anxiety among the people of the country, the Centre should take steps to drop the CAA and uphold the secular outlook of the Constitution," he said.
Noting that the Act had triggered widespread protests among various stratas of society, Pinarayi said it had dented India's image in front of the international community.
Pinarayi also ensured the Assembly that there wont be any detention centres in the southern state.
Leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala pointed out that the CAA has now become the biggest challenge before the country since Independence.
"India did not surface one fine morning, instead it evolved over years and years of hard work and see what has taken place now. The Constitution is one which was carefully prepared. The Indian Citizenship Act came into effect in 1955 and since then six times it underwent changes, but not once was anything done in the name of religion. Now see, in one stroke everything is in shambles and the country is being sliced and hence this should go," said Chennithala.
When the session began, O Rajagopal, the lone BJP member in the Assembly, objected to the resolution stating that it was "illegal" as both Houses of the Parliament had passed the CAA Act.
"How is it possible for this legislature to pass a resolution against a law, that is the CAA that has already become a law, after going through all the procedures. All this is now being created by a party which in the past had divided the country based on religion. So, this is nothing but to score political brownie points and nothing else," said Rajagopal.
Earlier, the BJP had said that they would approach President against the resolution if it gets passed in the Assembly.
The Opposition had demanded the Left government to convene a special session and pass a resolution against the CAA during an all-party meeting convened by the Chief Minister on December 29 to discuss the issue.
Seven time legislator P.C. George, who heads Kerala Janapaksham, who briefly hobnobbed with the BJP-led NDA and has since left them, expressed his displeasure in what he termed as "the weak protests by the traditional rival political fronts".
"I would suggest that the protests against the CAA should be stepped up and the need of the hour is about five lakh people should sit in protest before the Accountant General's office here for 10 days so the world takes notice. Meek and mild protests won't suffice as this is a deadly one and it should be forced to be repealed," said George.
India's new law that grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who fled Muslim-majority Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan prior to 2015 has led to violent demonstrations across the nation.
(With PTI and IANS inputs)
