Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday made it clear that the DMK government would never allow the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
Reacting to Union Minister of State Shantanu Thakur’s statement that CAA would be implemented in seven days, not only in West Bengal but across the country, the Chief Minister, in a social media post, said that but for the support of the AIADMK, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which was against Muslims and Sri Lankan Tamils, would not have become an Act.
Mr. Stalin said that even though the DMK was in Opposition back then, it joined hands with friendly parties and organised protests and signature campaigns against CAA. “We collected two crore signatures and sent them to the President. We also adopted a resolution [against CAA] in the Assembly after coming to power in 2021,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that people were closely watching the BJP-led Central government’s policies that were against communal harmony, and the “drama” of the AIADMK in support of the BJP.
Meanwhile, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami said that the party would never allow CAA. But its MPs had voted in favour of the Bill in Parliament.
In a social media post, Mr. Palaniswami said that the DMK, which “stabbed the Muslims in the back” by remaining a silent spectator during the Coimbatore riots, was not fit to point the finger at the AIADMK.
Mr. Palaniswami further criticised the DMK for having supported the National Investigation Agency Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which “affect the minorities”.
