DMK president M.K. Stalin on Monday alleged that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill could have been prevented from becoming a law if the 11 members of the AIADMK had voted against it in the Rajya Sabha.
“It has become a law because the AIADMK never showed any concern for the welfare of Sri Lankan Tamils [who have been left out of the legislation]. The party prostrated before its Delhi bosses,” Mr. Stalin said in a statement.He said the Bill was passed with 125 votes in its favour and 105 votes against its passage in the Rajya Sabha.
“Had the AIADMK voted against it, the votes favouring the Bill would have been reduced to 114 and anti-votes would have been 116. But the AIADMK remained slaves and its members were not aware of the power of their votes,” he said.
Mr. Stalin said the BJP government at the Centre in the last six months had been pursuing anti-Tamil policies and it was futile to expect any concern for Tamils since it had rolled out the red carpet to Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
“Tamils who continue to face the fury of the Sinhalese Buddhist majoritarianism are Hindus and Saivites. Muslims are also the victims of the majoritarianism. Is it the policy of the BJP government to neglect Tamils even in Hinduism,” he asked. The DMK leader called upon his party men to participate in the demonstration against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act scheduled for Tuesday.
