"Huge Historical Blunder": AIADMK Opposes CAA Rules Notification

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has criticised the central government for notifying the rules to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) 2019. The AIADMK leader called it a "huge historical blunder".

"In the context of the announcement of general elections, the ruling BJP government at the Center has published a notification in the gazette that the CAA Act 2019 (Citizenship Amendment Act) will be implemented from today. AIADMK has been insisting that this Act should not affect any indigenous community in the country," Mr Palaniswami said in a post on X on Tuesday.

The AIADMK leader alleged that it was done for "electoral gains" and to "divide the people".

"The CAA has been implemented for electoral gain in order to create division among the people in view of the upcoming elections. AIADMK vehemently opposes this action of the central government which has been carried out to divide the people," he further wrote.

"The central government has made a huge historical blunder by this notification. AIADMK will never allow this Amendment Act. I would like to inform you that AIADMK will fight democratically along with the people of the country against this," Mr Palaniswami said.

AIADMK MLA VV Rajan Chellappa on Tuesday said that his party had signed the CAA guarantee with conditions during the alliance with BJP.

"The then AIADMK government under Edappadi K Palaniswami did not sign the CAA wholeheartedly. The AIADMK signed the CAA with conditions during the alliance with BJP. AIADMK will always support good deeds. We do not fully support the CAA," Mr Chellappa said.

On March 11, the Union Home Ministry notified the rules of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), days ahead of the announcement of the Lok Sabha election schedule.

The CAA rules, introduced by the Narendra Modi government and passed by Parliament in 2019, aim to confer Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants - Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians- who migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and arrived in India before December 31, 2014.