CAA: Goa House passes motion hailing PM amid walkout by Cong

The Goa Legislative Assembly on Monday passed a motion congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) amid a walkout by MLAs of opposition Congress and the Goa Forward Party (GFP).

Majority of Catholic MLAs of the ruling BJP supported the motion which was moved by Atanasio Monserratte and Clafacio Dias in afternoon on the first day of the Budget session.

MLAs of Congress and the GFP led by the Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat created ruckus and rushed to the Well of the House demanding that Speaker Rajesh Patnekar disallow the motion.

They later staged a walkout saying they had submitted a notice seeking a discussion on the new citizenship law and the proposed country-wide National Register of Citizens (NRC).

In the House of 40, the ruling BJP has 27 MLAs of its own including the speaker, who all were present besides two Independent legislators who support the party-led government.

NCP MLA Churchil Alemao, who also supports the government, was absent.

The opposition MLAs included five members of the Congress, three of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), one of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and an Independent.

Addressing the House, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said "few leaders were misguiding people on the CAA".

"Opposition members are not ignorant about the Act. They are well aware about it, but are purposefuly trying to misguide people," he said.

Sawant said the CAA was enacted to take care of the minority communities in Pakistan, Afghanisthan and Bangladesh.

The CAA, under which non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will be given Indian citizenship, came into force from January 10. It was passed by the Parliament on December 11, 2019.

The amended law is facing strident opposition from various quarters over its "discriminatory nature", with states like Kerala, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Punjab passing resolutions opposing it.

Sawant said the number of Hindus in Pakistan shrank from 13.5 per cent to 1.85 per cent.

"Where have these people gone? They have either got converted or migrated, and naturally they have come to India," he said.

Urging the Opposition benches to read the history, Sawant saidIndia was divided on the religious lines in 1947 by the Congress party.

"Pakistan (was created) for Muslims while India is for Hindus. The attempt to give citizenship (to refugees from Pakistan) was made by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who in the year 1950 assured the Lok Sabha that the refugees would be given (Indian) citizenship," the CM said.

He said some people from outside Goa are trying to "poison" the minds of local Christians.

Ports Minister Michael Lobo of the BJP said many Christians who had migrated to Pakistan are wiling to return to Goa.

"I have been giving them the letters required by the embassy to visit Goa for participating in feasts and other occasions. Those people would be benefitted due to enactment of the CAA," he said.

Deputy Speaker Isidore Fernandes said the Goa Church has adopted an anti-CAA stand, but it is for the elected representatives to clear the air on the act.

"We face humiliation many a times when we go for religious gatherings, but we should face it and we should convince people on this Act," he said.

BJP MLA and Power Minister Nilesh Cabral said the CAA will resolve the major issue of enemy properties in Goa.

"Several people who had migrated to Pakistan have left their properties in Goa which are now labeled as the enemy properties. These people will benefit due to the CAA," he said.

Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar said some political leaders are trying to "revive their career through anti-CAA agitations".