HYDERABAD: Further hardening its stand against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Telangana State Cabinet on Sunday demanded that the Centre repeal the Act immediately.
The decision comes as a reply to Opposition BJP's taunts to TRS as to why it was remaining silent on the CAA after opposing it in the Parliament.
This was done in an attempt to expose what BJP sees as a dichotomy in the TRS policy on the Central legislation.
To take the war into the enemy's camp, the State Cabinet also decided to adopt a resolution in the forthcoming budget session of the State Assembly on the lines of four non-BJP-ruled States that have passed similar resolutions for the repeal of the CAA.
The TS Cabinet meeting, which was held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at Pragathi Bhavan, appealed to the BJP government not to discriminate against the people on the basis of religion for according citizenship.
"The State Cabinet appealed to the Union Government, not to discriminate on the basis of religion for according Indian citizenship. It requested that all religions must be treated as equal before the law," according to an official release from the Chief Minister's Office issued late on Sunday night.
"The Cabinet requested that all religions be treated as equal before the law. It further requested the Centre to take measures to abrogate the CAA as it will lead to discrimination on the basis of religion while granting citizenship and thereby jeopardising secularism envisaged in the Constitution," the release further said.
The Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Rao, felt the CAA would lead to discrimination on the basis of religion in the grant of citizenship and jeopardise secularism envisaged in the Constitution.
Coming out strongly against the CAA, Chief Minister Rao had said last month said he might convene a meeting of regional parties and chief ministers to oppose the amended citizenship law.
The state assembly may pass a resolution, like the other state assemblies did, against the CAA, he had said then.
The Cabinet meeting, which began on Sunday evening, concluded late in the night.
The Cabinet also decided to organize 'Pattana Pragathi' (progress of towns) programme, aimed at ensuring cleanliness, greenery and planned development in urban areas, for 10 days beginning February 24 in all towns and cities of the state, a separate official release said.
A state-level 'municipal conference', to be attended by mayors, municipal chairpersons, commissioners, MLAs and district collectors, would be held on February 18 here to finalise the guidelines for the proposed programme, it said.
(With PTI Inputs)