Actor-politician Kamal Haasan on Tuesday slammed the central government for notifying rules of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, accusing it of destroying harmony and dividing the country in the run-up to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
In a statement, Kamal Haasan, the founder of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), claimed the BJP-led Centre had "hurriedly" implemented the CAA in a "desperate" bid to win the Lok Sabha polls, likely to be held in April-May.
"The central government is trying to divide the public and destroy the harmony of India, right before the election. In its desperation to win the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the BJP government has hurriedly notified the CAA, on the eve of the elections," he said.
"The timing of the notification is furthermore questionable, considering the Supreme Court is determining the constitutional validity of this law," he added.
The CAA seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis who came to India on or before December 31, 2014 from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Kamal Haasan questioned why Sri Lankan Tamils were not included in the purview of CAA.
"If we believe the claims that this Act is meant to protect the oppressed religious minorities, why not include the Sri Lankan Tamils who have faced similar hardships? Tamil Nadu, leading the way among other states, has passed resolutions in the state legislature against this Act," he said.
"To add insult to injury, after having been ignored and overlooked by the central government, now our Muslim brothers received this tragic news on one of their holiest of days -- the first day of Ramzan," he added.
The actor-politician asserted that his party has "unwaveringly" opposed the CAA and was the first to challenge the law in the Supreme Court.
"Unfortunately, this Act, which was hastily tabled and is now being implemented on the eve of a national election, makes plain BJP’s nefarious designs. Perhaps, this is a perfect example of the vision of India that the BJP intends to create if it is voted back to power," he said.
"It is reprehensible that the central government continues to ignore reality. Let us join together, to give a reality check to the powers that be. Those who try to divide our citizens on the basis of religion, language and caste will get a reality check in the upcoming elections," Kamal Haasan further said.
On Monday, Tamil actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Thalapathy Vijay slammed the Centre over the CAA implementation and called it "unacceptable". He urged the Tamil Nadu government not to implement the law in the state.
The Opposition parties have been heavily criticising the CAA, alleging that the law is "discriminatory" and an attempt to "polarise the elections".
Source: India Today