<p>The European Parliament has decided not to conduct a vote on Thursday on a resolution against India's new citizenship law, a move seen as an attempt to not jeopardise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Brussels in March for a bilateral summit with the 28-member block.</p>.<p>The European Parliament on Wednesday decided to take up the voting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act during its new session beginning March 2.</p>.<p>Government sources called the deferment of the voting a diplomatic victory, adding that friends of India prevailed over the friends of Pakistan in the European Parliament on Wednesday.</p>.<p>India reached out to almost all countries of the powerful block, trying to persuade them against going ahead with the resolution against the CAA.</p>.<p>Sources said the European lawmakers agreed to delay the voting to get a direct perspective from about the CAA from External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who is scheduled to visit Brussels to prepare the ground for Modi's visit in mid-March.</p>.<p>The EU lawmakers also wanted to wait for judicial review of the contentious law by India's Supreme Court.</p>.<p>Diplomatic sources said the vote on the resolution against the CAA may take place between March 30 and 31, but a debate on it will go on as scheduled later on Wednesday.</p>.<p>Six political groups of members of the European Parliament had moved a joint resolution against India's citizenship law, calling it discriminatory.</p>.<p>"Strenuous efforts of outgoing British MEP (Member of European Parliament) Shaffaq Mohammad to have a resolution passed by the European Parliament against India on the penultimate day before Brexit were defeated," a source said.</p>.<p>The government has been maintaining that the CAA is a matter internal to India and it was adopted following a due process through democratic means.</p>.<p>The sources said they expect that their perspectives in this matter will be understood by all objective and fair-minded MEPs.</p>.<p>A move by a group of MEPs to totally reject the resolution against the CAA was thwarted at the EU Parliament.</p>.<p>The new law passed by Parliament last month offers citizenship to non-Muslim persecuted religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.</p>.<p>India has been witnessing massive protests against the new law, with opposition parties, civil rights groups and activists saying granting citizenship based on religion is against the Constitution's foundational principle.</p>
<p>The European Parliament has decided not to conduct a vote on Thursday on a resolution against India's new citizenship law, a move seen as an attempt to not jeopardise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Brussels in March for a bilateral summit with the 28-member block.</p>.<p>The European Parliament on Wednesday decided to take up the voting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act during its new session beginning March 2.</p>.<p>Government sources called the deferment of the voting a diplomatic victory, adding that friends of India prevailed over the friends of Pakistan in the European Parliament on Wednesday.</p>.<p>India reached out to almost all countries of the powerful block, trying to persuade them against going ahead with the resolution against the CAA.</p>.<p>Sources said the European lawmakers agreed to delay the voting to get a direct perspective from about the CAA from External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who is scheduled to visit Brussels to prepare the ground for Modi's visit in mid-March.</p>.<p>The EU lawmakers also wanted to wait for judicial review of the contentious law by India's Supreme Court.</p>.<p>Diplomatic sources said the vote on the resolution against the CAA may take place between March 30 and 31, but a debate on it will go on as scheduled later on Wednesday.</p>.<p>Six political groups of members of the European Parliament had moved a joint resolution against India's citizenship law, calling it discriminatory.</p>.<p>"Strenuous efforts of outgoing British MEP (Member of European Parliament) Shaffaq Mohammad to have a resolution passed by the European Parliament against India on the penultimate day before Brexit were defeated," a source said.</p>.<p>The government has been maintaining that the CAA is a matter internal to India and it was adopted following a due process through democratic means.</p>.<p>The sources said they expect that their perspectives in this matter will be understood by all objective and fair-minded MEPs.</p>.<p>A move by a group of MEPs to totally reject the resolution against the CAA was thwarted at the EU Parliament.</p>.<p>The new law passed by Parliament last month offers citizenship to non-Muslim persecuted religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.</p>.<p>India has been witnessing massive protests against the new law, with opposition parties, civil rights groups and activists saying granting citizenship based on religion is against the Constitution's foundational principle.</p>