Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday alleged that the BJP-led Central government’s divisive agenda had weaponised the Citizenship Act, turning what was a beacon of humanity into a tool of discrimination based on religion and race through the enactment of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
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“By betraying Muslims and Sri Lankan Tamils, they sowed the seeds of division,” the Chief Minister said in a social media message.
He alleged that despite staunch opposition from democratic forces like the DMK, the CAA was passed with the support of the “BJP’s stooge, the AIADMK”.
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“Fearing a backlash from the people, the BJP kept the Act in cold storage. After the DMK came to power in 2021, we passed a resolution in the Assembly urging the Union government to repeal the CAA to safeguard the unity of our nation, uphold social harmony, and protect the ideal of secularism enshrined in our Constitution,” he said.
Also read: Understanding the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019
According to him, as elections loomed, Prime Minister Modi sought to salvage his sinking ship by cynically resurrecting the CAA, exploiting religious sentiments for political gain.
“However, the people of India will never forgive the BJP for unleashing this divisive Citizenship Amendment Act and their spineless lackeys, the AIADMK, who shamelessly supported it. People will teach them a befitting lesson,” he said.