France speaks on EU’s anti-CAA resolution: Don’t take action that questions rights of the democratically elected

French diplomatic sources said CAA is an internal matter of India and that France has clarified its stance on many occasions  

New Delhi: The founding member of EU, France, has commented on the Citizenship Amendment Act. French diplomatic sources said that France has on several occasions clarified where it stands on the issue. The sources stated that it is an internal political matter.

The sources were quoted in an ANI report stating, "For France, a founding member of the EU, the CAA is India's internal political matter. We have stated this on several occasions. European Parliament is an institution independent of the Member States and the European Commission."

The sources stated that there was a draft resolution, sponsored by few members of the EU Parliament, on the citizenship law.

They also pointed out that the legislation, however, underwent due process and through democratic means, including public debate in both Houses of Parliament.

On Sunday, they also said that the members of the European Parliament must interact with the Indian government, make a full assessment of the facts “before proceeding further.”

The sources were quite clear to state that the EU must not take any action that calls into question the authority and democratically elected legislatures in other regions of the world and said that CAA is an internal matter of India.

They also pointed out that European societies have had a similar approach stating, "Every society that fashions a pathway to naturalisation, contemplates both a context and criteria. This is not discrimination”.

"We hope sponsors and supporters of the draft will engage with us to get a full and accurate assessment of the facts before they proceed further. As fellow democracies, the EU Parliament shouldn't take actions that call into question the rights and authority of democratically elected legislatures in other regions of the world," they added.

The NDA-government paved the way to put into effect the amended Citizenship Act that grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.

With ANI inputs