CHENNAI: The AIADMK government on Wednesday made it clear that the state legislature was bound by the Parliamentary law and adopting a resolution against CAA in the assembly would be unconstitutional. As revenue minister R B Udayakumar clarified the government’s standpoint in the assembly, the opposition DMK and its allies, the Congress and the IUML walked out of the House, charging that the Tamil Nadu government was not protecting the rights of minorities.
Udayakumar said as per the Centre’s instruction, house listing and housing census in Tamil Nadu would take place between June 16 and July 30, this year, ahead of the decennial census scheduled in February 2021.
Later, DMK chief M K Stalin told reporters outside the assembly that the AIADMK government feared that it would lose power if it passed a resolution against the Union government. “They will not only lose power, they (cabinet) will even go to prison as the Centre is vested with the powers to probe charges of corruption,” said Stalin. Earlier, he said in the assembly that people were in a state of fear over the impending NPR exercise and sought to know if the state government received any reply from the Centre on its request to avoid certain queries in NPR 2020. He said the DMK did not object to the NPR 2010 format as it was only a routine enumeration. But NPR 2020 is designed to pave way for NRC, said Stalin.
Udayakumar said the state was yet to receive a response from the Centre. “How will it be constitutionally binding if we pass a resolution against a law enacted by Parliament? Cases (relating to challenging the constitutional validity of CAA) are pending in the Supreme Court,” the minister said. The state had not issued any notification for the conduct of NPR. It would be done only after it receives “guidance” from the Centre as the state has requested the Centre to avoid three queries in NPR like place and date of birth of parents.
Pointing to the BJP allies YSR Congress and Telangana Rashtra Samithi changing their stance on NPR owing to local sentiments, Stalin said the Tamil Nadu government should also pass a resolution in the Cabinet and in the assembly.
Udayakumar said as per the Centre’s instruction, house listing and housing census in Tamil Nadu would take place between June 16 and July 30, this year, ahead of the decennial census scheduled in February 2021.
Later, DMK chief M K Stalin told reporters outside the assembly that the AIADMK government feared that it would lose power if it passed a resolution against the Union government. “They will not only lose power, they (cabinet) will even go to prison as the Centre is vested with the powers to probe charges of corruption,” said Stalin. Earlier, he said in the assembly that people were in a state of fear over the impending NPR exercise and sought to know if the state government received any reply from the Centre on its request to avoid certain queries in NPR 2020. He said the DMK did not object to the NPR 2010 format as it was only a routine enumeration. But NPR 2020 is designed to pave way for NRC, said Stalin.
Udayakumar said the state was yet to receive a response from the Centre. “How will it be constitutionally binding if we pass a resolution against a law enacted by Parliament? Cases (relating to challenging the constitutional validity of CAA) are pending in the Supreme Court,” the minister said. The state had not issued any notification for the conduct of NPR. It would be done only after it receives “guidance” from the Centre as the state has requested the Centre to avoid three queries in NPR like place and date of birth of parents.
Pointing to the BJP allies YSR Congress and Telangana Rashtra Samithi changing their stance on NPR owing to local sentiments, Stalin said the Tamil Nadu government should also pass a resolution in the Cabinet and in the assembly.
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