EU lawmakers have drafted a resolution against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act. The resolution mainly focuses on CAA.
Brussels| 626 members out of 751 of the EU Parliament have moved six resolutions on CAA and reorganisation of the state of J&K. The diplomatic offensive by the EU against India comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi”s visit to Brussels for the India-EU summit in March.
Resolutions that seek an end to curbs could have a deep impact on ties between India and the European Union.
The resolution was tabled by the European United Left/ Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) Group in the Parliament.
The resolutions have been scheduled as part of the European Parliament’s debate on the CAA and will be taken up for discussion on January 29 and it will be followed by a vote on the matter on January 30.
The Indian government is accused of “discriminating, harassing, and prosecuting national and religious minorities and silencing opposition, human rights groups… and journalists critical of the government.” by the lawmakers.
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The draft under the “Relations with Asian countries” section advises the Indian authorities to “engage constructively” with the anti-CAA protesters and consider their demand of withdrawing the Citizenship law. It not only expresses “deep concern” about CAA creating legal grounds to deprive millions of Muslims of their fundamental right of equal access to citizenship, reported NDTV.
The CAA grants fast track naturalization to only persecuted Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Parsis from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, exclusive of Muslims, Jews and other minority sects.
“As fellow democracies, the EU Parliament should not take actions that call into question the rights and authority of democratically elected legislatures in other regions of the world. Every society that fashions a pathway to naturalisation, contemplates both a context and criteria. This is not discrimination. In fact, European societies have followed the same approach,” government sources said in response to the resolutions.
However, there has been no official reaction from the external affairs ministry to the resolutions. Though Indian officials have reiterated the CAA is an “entirely internal” matter and that the law was adopted by due process and through democratic means in Parliament.
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