Punjab assembly follows Left-ruled Kerala, moves resolution against CAA

A minister would move a resolution on the second day of the two-day special session of the Assembly urging the Centre to repeal the Act, the sources said

The ruling Congress moved a resolution in the state Assembly here on Friday demanding that the Central government scrap the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act.

State Minister Brahm Mohindra moved the resolution against the CAA on the second day of the two-day special session.

"The CAA enacted by Parliament has caused countrywide anguish and social unrest with widespread protests all over the country. The State of Punjab also witnessed protests against this legislation, which were peaceful and involved all segments of our society," Mohindra said while reading out the resolution.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had on Thursday not ruled out the possibility of bringing a resolution against the amended citizenship law.

"Wait till tomorrow," Singh had said when asked by reporters if the government will bring in a resolution, on the lines of Kerala, against the Act.

The state Congress government had on Tuesday said it will proceed according to the "will of the House" on the issue of CAA, National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR).

Singh had recently said his government would not allow the implementation of the "brazenly divisive CAA".

After a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, his colleagues in the ministry had expressed concern over the implications of the "blatantly unconstitutional and divisive CAA, NRC and NPR."

"The ministers were of the view that the matter was bound to be raised during the two-day session of the assembly on January 16-17 and it was unanimously decided that the government should accept the will of the House," an official statement had said.

Singh had said neither the nor the Congress were against granting citizenship to minorities persecuted on the basis of religion but they were completely opposed to the "discrimination in the CAA against certain religious communities, including Muslims".

The Kerala Assembly had recently passed a resolution demanding the scrapping of the controversial law, becoming the first state in the country to do so.