Chennai, March 12: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday dismissed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act as 'divisive and bereft of any use' and asserted that it will not be implemented in the state. Hitting out at the BJP regime at the Centre for notifying the rules for implementing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) 'in a haste' when the Lok Sabha polls are round the corner, Stalin said the CAA and its rules went against the basic structure of the Constitution.

Explaining the background to the opposition to CAA and hinting at related matters pending in the Supreme Court, the Chief Minister said this prompted a view if the rules have been notified now to "escape from censure of the apex court and with an intention to divert people and for electoral politics." There is not going to be any use or benefits due to the CAA, which only paves the way for creating 'divisions' among the Indian people. "The stand of the government is that this law is completely unwarranted; it is one that must be repealed." Hence, "the Tamil Nadu government will not give any opportunity in any manner to implement the CAA in Tamil Nadu," he asserted in an official release. CAA: List of Documents Required To Apply for Citizenship in India Under Citizenship Amendment Act

Also, the state government will never provide room for any legislation that shall 'impinge on India's unity.' Stalin, also president of the ruling DMK, reiterated that the CAA went against pluralism, secularism, minority communities and the Sri Lankan Tamil refugees. Considering all such aspects, soon after assuming power, his DMK government had on September 8, 2021 adopted a resolution in the Assembly, seeking the withdrawal of the CAA and forwarded it to the Union government. Like Tamil Nadu, several states have opposed the CAA. CAA Implementation: Government Terms Al Jazeera Report Calling Citizenship Amendment Act 'Anti-Muslim' Misleading, Says 'Law Not Against Any Religion'

Only under such circumstances, the Centre has notified the rules on March 11 for implementing the CAA. The Chief Minister said this has led to a question, if this has been implemented now for "electoral politics; to divert people and to escape from strictures of the Supreme Court."