No pressure on AIADMK to support CAA: Palaniswami

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK joint coordinator E Palaniswami on Thursday made it clear that there was no pressure on the party to support the recently enacted Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

The AIADMK was clear that CAA would not affect in whatever manner the citizenship of Indians living in the country, the Chief Minister said, adding that some opposition parties were deliberately instigating people to agitate. “How can you prevent such persons who are holding protests purposely?” he told mediapersons here.

Even Union Home Minister Amit Shah had clearly told in parliament that the legislation would not affect the interests of Indians, he said.

On Sri Lankan Tamils

Responding to a question, Palaniswami said the state government was pressing the Centre to provide dual citizenship to those Sri Lankan Tamils who were living in India for decades. Former Chief Minister and AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa had made a plea to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard during their meeting in 2016, he said.

I too, made a similar demand to Modi, he said, adding that this (dual citizenship) was the policy of the Tamil Nadu government and the AIADMK and “we will continue to press the Centre in this regard”.

‘No law and order issue’

Replying to another question, he said anti-CAA stirs were held in some parts of the state peacefully and there was no law and order issue. In a democratic set up people had every right to express their views peacefully. The state governments were duty bound to maintain law and order and there would be no issue at all if the protests were carried out peacefully without violence, he said.

He said the Tamil Nadu government does not anticipate trouble due to the anti-CAA protests during the ensuing local bodies poll scheduled on December 27 and 30.

The CAA was enacted after President Ram Nath Kovind on December 12 gave his assent to the bill in this regard approved by both Houses of parliament.

Citizenship (Amendment) Act provides Indian citizenship to those non-Muslims who migrated to India till December 31, 2014 due to religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.