'CAA Threatens Secularity, Centre Should Withdraw It': Kamal Nath Cabinet Passes Resolution

Bhopal: Toeing its earlier stance on contentious Citizenship Amendment Law, the Kamal Nath cabinet here on Wednesday passed a government resolution, urging the Centre to roll back CAA to ensure equality for all citizens.

“This (CAA) seems to have tampered with the basic tenets of the constitution, that is secularism. It violates Article 14 which offers right to equality for all citizens, so through the government resolution, we have urged the Centre to roll it back,” said Public Relations Minister PC Sharma, after the meeting of state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Kamal Nath.

The minister said that they had also urged the Centre to clear the apprehensions and fears attached to National Register of Citizens, before implementing it in the country.

After the contentious Citizenship Amendment Law was passed in the parliament, Nath had announced that it would not be implemented in Madhya Pradesh. The state government had even recently organised a protest march against CAA in Bhopal.

Meanwhile, the resolution adopted by the cabinet on Wednesday mentioned that the constitution under article 14 offers right to equality to all citizens without any discrimination. The CAA cleared by the parliament does not confirm to the norms of secularism, claimed the resolution.

“After implementation of the constitution in the country, an act with divisive provisions has been formulated and could endanger the secular fabric and secular structure of the country,” the resolution stated further.

Certain provisions of CAA are beyond comprehension for citizens and fuels apprehensions, it added further. Regular protests against CAA are seeing participation of all the sections of the society, added the resolution.

“With the aim of equitable rights and prevention of any divisive norms, the Madhya Pradesh government hence urge the Centre to annul this Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019,” the resolution said.

It also requested the Centre to clear apprehensions attached to NRC and do away with sections that solicit such information instilling fear among citizens, before the process of census is undertaken.