Capt Amarinder opposes CAA: ‘I don’t have birth certificate, half of Punjab doesn’t’

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 19

Strongly opposing the CAA/NCR/NPR as absurd and unconstitutional, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday said half of Punjab, including himself, could not produce birth certificates to prove their nationality.

Pointing out that most people in Punjab came from Pakistan, the Chief Minister asked if the Center expected them to go to Pakistan to look for proof of birth.

 “Even I don’t have a birth certificate. These things did not exist when I was born,” said the Chief Minister, quipped that this would make him too a “doubtful character” under the Government of India’s new census system.

Making it clear that his government was totally opposed to these exercises, Amarinder said while a routine census would be conducted in Punjab, it would not be based on religion, caste and creed.

Questioning what the BJP-led central government was trying to prove with these laws and documents, Amarinder took strong exception to even former Army officials being declared non-Indians after fighting for the nation.

For 72 years, India has been a diverse country, with different religions, castes and creeds living together, as one, in the true spirit of the Constitution and its Preamble, the Chief Minister pointed out.

“Suddenly they want to break and fragment this nation, which is totally unacceptable,” he said at a conclave here.

The reaction of the people, especially the youth, clearly shows that this will not work in this country, said Amarinder, adding that the Government of India could not possibly put everyone in a box and take them back more than seven decades.