JDU, LJP support Citizenship bill, TRS opposes

New Delhi: Opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in Lok Sabha on Monday, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the Bill is being brought to enable a new partition of the country on the line of religion. Owaisi also tore apart a copy of the Bill, which was condemned by the Speaker and was removed from the records of the House.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday tabled the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB), 2019, in Lok Sabha that seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan escaping religious persecution there. Trying to allay apprehensions of the people of Northeastern region, Shah said the Narendra Modi government was committed to protect the customs and culture of the people of the region and informed that Manipur will be brought under Inner Line Permit regime.

On Shah's comment criticising Congress for the partition of the country based on religion, Congress MP Manish Tewari said it was not Congress, but V D Savarkar who first introduced religion-based partition of the country in 1935. "During the debate on Citizenship bill today, some members of the ruling party were saying that the Congress party was responsible for the partition of the country on the basis of religion. I want to remind them that the idea of partition on the religious basis was first floated in 1935 by Hindu Mahasabha… by Savarkar," he said.

(Inputs from The Indian Express)