Protests against CAA gains momentum : Statelessness: European Union

New Delhi: More than 150 lawmakers of the European Union have drafted a five-page resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act, contending that it "marks a dangerous shift in the way citizenship will be determined in India and is set to create the largest statelessness crisis in the world and cause immense human suffering".

Accusing the government of "discriminating against, harassing and prosecuting national and religious minorities and silencing any opposition, human rights groups... and journalists critical of the government", they asked the EU to insist on a "strong human rights clause with an effective implementation and suspension mechanism" during any trade agreement, according to NDTV report.

The resolution -- which is expected to be tabled during the plenary session of the European Parliament starting in Brussels next week -- comes days after the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked India 10 places lower in the Democracy Index, mentioning the citizenship law and the restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir after the government ended its special status.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called the CAA 'fundamentally discriminatory', they pointed out.

Journalist Faye D'Souza has been dropped from the list of speakers at a lecture series sponsored by the Goa government because of her stand against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, a minister said.

Ms D'Souza, a well-known TV journalist, was among the speakers at the DD Kosambi Festival of Ideas organised by the Goa Art and Culture Department.

The Kerala Latin Catholic Church on the occasion of Republic Day read out a pastoral letter in all their churches in the state which said that the CAA was not just an issue for Muslims, but for all, and that it will destroy the secular character of India.

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said that Mahatma Gandhi would have observed fast against the CAA at Shaheen Bagh in the national capital, had he been alive. "If Mahatma Gandhi were alive today, he would have observed a 'Bhookh Hadtal' (fast) at Shaheen Bagh," Singh said.