Laws once enacted can't be opposed on streets: Goa Cong leader

Goa Congress leader and former MP John Fernandes has lambasted his own party for opposing the amended citizenship act, saying laws passed by Parliament should not be challenged on the streets. Fernandes, a former Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president, on Thursday termed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) as a "good" law which should be accepted by people.

The passage of CAA in Parliament last month triggered protests across the country, including in Goa. The Congress and other opposition parties have criticised the new law that grants citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014 to escape religious persecution in their home country.

Fernandes was addressing a gathering here where crucial issues like CAA and scrapping of Article 370, that provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir, were discussed. The former GPCC chief, who held reigns of the party in Goa in 2013, said, When a law is passed by Parliament, no one should be instigated by the opposition to say anything against it on the streets." Commenting on protests around university campus post- CAA, including in Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), Fernandes said I dont think it is appropriate, what is going on. I know how it started.

"It started at Jamia Millia Islamia, I was a director to that board and I know how it was functioning therefore I resigned from that board, he said without elaborating. Referring to the protests against CAA, the two-time former Rajya Sabha MP said, Can laws be made on the streets? Then it is law of the jungle. These topics are not to be debated (once passed by Parliament).

"CAA is to be accepted by the people of this country because these are good laws." I belong to a particular political party but I have opinion as an individual. We have made mistakes in the last 70 years and why we should continue with the same mistakes? he asked. Talking about Pakistan, which has criticised the Centre over scrapping of Article 370 and CAA, Fernandes said it is not anybodys business to convince Indians on the twin issues.

I dont think it is anybodys business to convince us on Article 370 and CAA. It is not for people across the border to dictate us terms about laws passed by our Parliament, the Congress leader said. When a law is passed by Parliament it has to be accepted. Even if the prime minister is not from my party, I should accept him because he is PM of India, Fernandes said.

CAA's critics say the law is discriminatory and violates the core values of the Constitution..

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