CHENNAI, JAN 19
It is the responsibility of all states to ensure the execution of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), said Union Minister for Finance Nirmala Sitharaman here on Sunday.
Responding to queries of the audience organised by the Chennai Citizen’s Forum, the minister said, “Everybody in this country has the responsibility to implement the law which has been passed in the Parliament.’’
She dubbed the proposal of some States to not implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) as ‘unconstitutional’.
“A State Assembly has passed a resolution against CAA. It is like making a political statement. We can understand that. But saying they will not implement it, is against the law. It is unconstitutional to say that,” she said.
Sitharaman was responding to a query from the audience, at an event on the CAA, organised by Chennai Citizens’ Forum, on some States like Kerala having opposed the implementation of the CAA.
“Everybody in this country has the responsibility to implement the law which has been passed in the Parliament,” the Minister, who is here as part of BJP’s nationwide ‘Jan Jagran Abhiyan campaign’ in support of the Act, said.
The Kerala government last week moved the Supreme Court against the CAA, seeking for the Act to be declared “violative of the principles of equality, freedom, and secularism enshrined in the Constitution”.
Several State governments, including Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Maharashtra have voiced their disagreement with the CAA, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR).
Congress leader Kapil Sibal had said there was no way a State could deny implementation of the CAA when it was already passed by the Parliament.
Adnan Sami, Taslima Nasreen are examples: Minister debunks CAA criticisers
The Minister cited Adnan Sami’s Indian citizenship and exiled writer Taslima Nasreen’s case as examples to debunk the criticism that the amended citizenship law is discriminatory against Muslims.
The minister reeled off numbers to drive home the point.
“Three hundred and ninety-one Afghanistani Muslims and 1,595 Pakistani migrants were given citizenship from 2016 to 2018. It was during this period in 2016, that Adnan Sami was given citizenship, it’s an example. Taslima Nasreen is another example. This proves all allegations against us are wrong,” said Sitaraman.
Lahore-born Sami had first arrived in India on March 13, 2001, on a visitor’s visa with the validity of one year. His Pakistani passport issued on May 27, 2010, expired on May 26, 2015, and his passport was not renewed by the Pakistan government which led him to approach the Indian government with the request to legalise his stay in India on humanitarian grounds.
Union Home Ministry finally cleared his Indian citizenship on January 1, 2016.
Taslima Nasreen, who had to leave Bangladesh in 1994 in the wake of a death threat by fundamentalist outfits for her alleged anti-Islamic views, has been living on a residence permit in New Delhi since 2004.
Citing more numbers as proof, Sitharaman said, “In the last year, 2,838 Pakistani refugees, 948 Afghanistani refugees, 172 Bangladeshi refugees have been given Indian citizenship. From 1964 to 2008 more than 4,00,000 Tamils (from Sri Lanka) have been given Indian citizenship.”
The minister further underlined that the act is an attempt to provide people a better life and that the government will not snatch away anyone’s citizenship.
“People who came from East Pakistan settled at various camps in the country, they’re still there. It’s been 50-60 years now. If you visit these camps, your heart will cry,” said added.
Man detained minutes before minister’s arrival
A man was detained by security officials at Chennai airport on Sunday when he shouted ‘Down down NPA,’ minutes before Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrived here to address a pro-CAA event.
Police said the man had arrived at the airport to meet a relative and enquired why there was enhanced security.
On being told that the FM would be arriving here, he shouted ‘down down NPA’, following which he was detained, they said.
