Accusing the DMK for deceiving the people over the CAA, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Tuesday (February 18) dared it to explain “which minority” community has been affected by the law in the state.
The assembly, debating the 2020-21 budget, witnessed exchanges over the controversial law even as protests by Muslims against it continued for the fifth day at Old Washermanpet here.
Making an intervention in the state assembly when a DMK member batted for a House resolution opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, he slammed the principal opposition party and said it was deceiving the people on the issue.
Speaking on the budget, DMK MLA T Mano Thangaraj favoured an anti-CAA resolution in the House.
Intervening, Palaniswami, who had been maintaining that the government will not allow anything that may affect the minorities, sought to turn the tables on the DMK and asked it to give details about those affected by the citizenship act.
Claiming that people were spreading misinformation about the CAA, the Chief Minister urged the DMK to explain who was affected by the Act. “Which minority is affected in Tamil Nadu? We are not acting (deceiving) like you (DMK),” he asked.
When Thangaraj, defended his position and pointed to resolutions against the CAA in some states, the Chief Minister said the law related to Citizenship came under the domain of the Central government and not the state.
Palaniswami clarified that the state had no authority to not implement the CAA as citizenship law was solely the prerogative of the Central government.
IUML member KAM Muhammed Abubacker too spoke and pointed to apprehensions vis-a-vis the CAA.
Responding, Revenue Minister R B Udhaya Kumar said the Chief Minister had even said (previously) that the government would own responsibility if any Muslim had been affected in the past three decades in Tamil Nadu, an apparent reference to the AIADMK rule for a major part of the period.
Kumar said the matter (CAA) was in the Supreme Court and also no rules had been framed under the law yet. Subsequently, the DMK MLAs walked out of the Assembly.
(With inputs from agencies)