Chandigarh, December 12

Terming the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) as a direct assault on India’s secular character, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday said his government would not allow the legislation to be implemented in his state.

Asserting his commitment to the protection of the Constitutional ethos of the country, Capt Amarinder said the Congress, which had a majority in the state Assembly, would block the “unconstitutional Bill” in the House.

His government, on its part, would not let the legislation rip apart the secular fabric of the country, whose strength lies in its diversity, said the Chief Minister, a day after the Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha. “Parliament has no authority to pass a law that defiled the Constitution and violates its basic principles and fundamental rights of the people,” said the Chief Minister, declaring CAB to be “null and void” on account of the fact that it was against the tenets and values contained in the Constitution. — TNS