Vote on anti-CAA motion in European Parliament delayed, New Delhi lauds Friends of India

European Union Parliament has decided to postpone the vote on a draft resolution on Citizenship amendment law to last week of March, which the March II Part session on March 30-31st. The European People's Party group or EPP group in a move called for the delaying the vote. The move was voted on and passed with 271 in favour, 199 against and  13 abstentions.

Government sources welcomed the development and said, "Friends of India prevailed over the Friends of Pakistan in the European Parliament today."

Explaining further, the sources said, "CAA is a matter internal to India and has been adopted through a due process through democratic means. We expect that our perspectives in this matter will be understood by all objective and fair-minded MEPs."

Interestingly,  Shaffaq Mohammad, the Pakistan origin British MEP looked disappointed. Shaffaq has just 2 days more left as MEP since on Friday UK leaves European Union and with that, he will too have to leave the EU Parliament.

Indian govt sources told WION, "Strenuous efforts of outgoing British MEP, Shaffaq Mohammad to have a Resolution passed by the European Parliament against India on the penultimate day before Brexit were defeated."

Voting on the resolution will now take place post 13th March, the day when PM Modi visits Brussels for the India EU summit. The EU has already distanced itself from the developments in the EU Parliament on the 6 draft resolution on Kashmir/CAA.

EU spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy, Virginie Battu-Henriksson, told WION, "Opinions expressed by the European Parliament and its members do not represent the official position of the European Union."