NEW DELHI: The Opposition slammed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday as “unconstitutional” and alleged that it is in “violation” of the idea of India that religion cannot be a ground for citizenship, but the BJP asserted that the draft legislation is in “consonance” with the soul and spirit of the Constitution.
The Congress has opposed the CAB and said any rule that discriminates on basis of religion is unacceptable. The party has decided to reach out to like-minded parties to devise a strategy for the Bill likely to be tabled in the LS on Monday.
“They are creating an atmosphere of fear by saying that the Hindus will be allowed to stay while Muslims will be thrown out of the country. This is like discriminating against people of specific religion,” said Leader of Congress party in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary.
Several Congress leaders panned the Bill, with Congress MP Shashi Tharoor asserting that it violates the basic idea of India that religion can never be a reason for citizenship. The Congress, Trinamool, CPI-M and a few other political parties have been steadfastly opposing the Bill.
“It is simple. Citizenship cannot be determined by or linked to religion. This is what makes the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) unacceptable and unconstitutional. The CAB is aimed at destroying the basis of India...,” CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said in a tweet.
BJP hits back
Rejecting the opposition’s charge, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said they are blinded by the narrow interest of protecting their “vote bank”.