Rahul Gandhi castigates India’s controversial citizenship bill
A day after the Lok Sabha passed the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill-2019, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi described it as an attack on the Constitution and said that anyone who supports the Bill is attempting to destroy the foundation of India.
In a tweet, Congress MP from Wayanad said: “The CAB is an attack on the Indian constitution. Anyone who supports it is attacking and attempting to destroy the foundation of our nation.”
His remarks came a day after the Lok Sabha passed the CAB that seeks to give Indian nationality to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday-Tuesday midnight sitting though it was vehemently opposed by major opposition parties objecting its nature and describing it “against Muslim community”, which the government rejected saying it does not affect the community residing in the country.
The Bill was tabled for discussion in the Lok Sabha on Monday by India’s home minister Amit Shah.
The draft legislation was passed after division of votes with 311 in its favour and 80 against it following a marathon over eight hour long debate continued till 12.06am on Tuesday which began about 4:00pm on Monday in the lower House.
The Bill would now be moved in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday to cross its final hurdle before becoming a law to provide Indian nationality to Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains and Buddhists fleeing persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
As treasury benches called it a historical Bill while the opposition dubbed the move to “kill secularism and Constitution of India”, “another attempt of partition” in the country in the name of religion and “violation of Article 14 of the Constitution”.
Major opposition parties, including Congress, Trinamool Congress, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam (DMK), All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), AIUDF, BSP, Samajwadi Party, Aam Aadmi Party and YSR Congress opposed the Bill citing various articles of the Constitution.