Citizenship Act Echoes In Tamil Nadu Assembly, DMK Walks Out After Demanding Resolution

The contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the opposition to it resonated in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday with the DMK and its allies demanding that a resolution be taken up over the issue and staging a walk out after Speaker P Dhanapal said the matter was under his scrutiny.

Raising the issue during the zero hour, Leader of the Opposition MK Stalin said the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has evoked nation wide opposition since it was not in tune with the "unity and integrity" of the country.

He urged that a resolution he had proposed on the issue be taken up.

The DMK had days ago submitted a plea with Assembly Secretariat urging that a resolution be taken up on the CAA. Mr Stalin had been demanding a resolution in the House against the CAA after the Kerala Assembly adopted it days ago.

The Speaker said Stalin's plea to take up a resolution on CAA was under his consideration and added that an appropriate decision will be taken.

When the proposal for a resolution was under his scrutiny, Mr Stalin cannot get into the nitty gritty of the issue, he said. "I will let you know my decision (on allowing the resolution)," the Speaker said.

However, members of the DMK were on their feet urging the Speaker to give his nod for taking up the resolution. When DMK Deputy leader Duraimurgan sought an assurance from Mr Dhanapal that their proposed resolution will be taken up, the Speaker said he will take a decision on allowing the resolution after scrutinising the matter. There are rules which have to be looked into as well, he noted.

Mr Stalin said his party was only asking that the resolution be taken up since the "entire country is afire over the issue." Protest demonstrations and violence was being witnessed against the CAA, he said.

When Speaker Dhanapal reiterated that he will take a decision at the appropriate time over the opposition demand,Stalin-led the walk out of this party. Congress legislature party leader K R Ramasamy and his party MLAs, the lone IUML MLA, KAM Muhammed Abubacker besidesruling party's ally M Tamimun Ansari followed suit.

According to CAA, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan,Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 and facing religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship. The law excludes Muslims.