Tamil Nadu government on Monday categorically announced that it will never implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the state. The M.K. Stalin-led DMK government vowed to protect the rights of minorities and Sri Lankan Tamil brethren. DMK’s announcement comes in the context of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s assertion that the legislation will come into effect before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The declaration not to permit the implementation of CAA was made clear in the governor’s address which Ravi refused to read, saying that he disagreed with the speech “morally and factually.”
Quoting Tamil poet Kanian Poongundranar's verses “yaadhum oore, yaavarum kelir” (to us all towns are one and all are our people), the address said, “the idea of unity in diversity is facing a grave threat in our nation and that the government remains steadfast in its commitment to protect and preserve the communal harmony in the state. We stand with minorities and our Sri Lankan Tamil brethren, as we pledge to protect their rights. This government will never permit the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act in our state and vows to take all necessary measures in this regard,” the address said.
The vow against CAA comes two weeks Stalin called the CAA as anti-Muslim and and anti-Sri Lankan Tamils. Apart from CAA, the governor’s address also talks against the Centre for not allocating funds and implementing the Chennai Metro Rail phase II.
“Amid the fiscal constraints, the Union government has reneged on its promise to provide its share in the Chennai Metro Rail Phase II project. The project was sanctioned at a cost of Rs.63,246 crore with an understanding that it will be a 50:50 equity sharing between us and the Union government. But even after the inauguration by the home minister, the project has not been approved by the Union government,” the governor's address read.
It also came down heavily on the Centre against GST, saying that it causes a severe stress on its fiscal resources. “When the states agreed to relinquish their fiscal autonomy, it was only under the legitimate expectation that they would receive adequate compensation until the new system could generate revenues equivalent to the pre-GST era. However, the Union government terminated the GST compensation resulting in revenue shortfall of Rs 20,000 crore per annum for the government of Tamil Nadu. We urge the government to continue the compensation regime further.”
