Rajasthan assembly passes resolution against Citizenship Act, becomes third state to do so

The Rajasthan Assembly on Saturday passed a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act. It became the third state to pass a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) after Kerala and Punjab.

The Congress-ruled government pledged in the Assembly to not support the controversial law. The decision drew sharp reaction from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party as several saffron party rushed to the well of the House and raised slogans in favour of the new citizenship law as the resolution was adopted.

As per the resolution, the CAA that has been enacted by the parliament recently "is aimed at distinguishing illegal migrants on the basis of religion and the discrimination of people on the grounds of religion is not in consonance with the secular ideas enshrined in the Constitution and is clearly violative of the Article 14.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that the resolution has been passed against the CAA in an attempt to urge the Central govt to repeal the law as it discriminates against people on religious grounds, which violates the provisions of our Constitution.

"Our Constitution prohibits any kind of discrimination. This is the first time in the history of the nation that a law has been enacted which discriminates people on religious grounds. It violates secular principles of our constitution and also Article 14 of our Constitution", Gehlot tweeted just after the resolution was passed.

"Article 14 clearly states that the State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India. CAA clearly violates this article therefore it should be repealed. The term secular in the Constitution of India means that all the religions in India get equal respect, protection and support from the State. CAA aims to change this basic principle. For this very reason, CAA has been opposed across the country", CM added.

Last month, Kerala became the first state to adopt an anti-CAA resolution and it was also the first state to move the top court against the law. The Congress-led Punjab government later followed as it called the CAA "inherently discriminatory and as far away as it can be from being a humanitarian measure."

Meanwhile a special session of the West Bengal Assembly has been summoned at 2 pm on January 27 to pass a resolution to scrap the law.