‘Insult to Constitution’: Akhikesh Yadav Tears into Govt Over Citizenship Bill, Says it Will Divide Society

Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party chief and former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav launched a scathing attack on the central government over the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) which was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday.

Terming the controversial Bill “a tactic to divert attention” and divide the society, Yadav said the CAB is an insult to the Constitution of India.

“Neither the income of the farmers was doubled, nor was the Ganga cleaned. The economy did not improve and the government could not generate jobs or ensure safety of our daughters or do development. I had already said, their (BJP) politics is to divert the attention of people and divide the society. The Citizenship Amendment Bill is an insult to the nation and the Constitution of India,” the SP chief said in a tweet in Hindi.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 seeks to give Indian nationality to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan facing religious persecution there.

The Shiv Sena also questioned whether "selective acceptance" of Hindu illegal immigrants will act as a trigger for a religious war in the country and accused the Centre of apparently doing an "invisible partition" of Hindus and Muslims over the Bill.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party also said "vote bank politics" under the garb of the bill (CAB) is not in the interest of the country. In an editorial in the party mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Sena also raised the timing of the bill saying, "There is no dearth of problems in India now but still we are inviting new ones such as CAB. It looks like the Centre has made an invisible partition of Hindus and Muslims over the bill".

The TMC also opposed the bill, calling it “divisive and unconstitutional”. “This law violates Article 14 of the Constitution and is against everything our founding fathers, including Dr Ambedkar, envisioned.”

Shah on Monday rejected the contention of the Opposition that the Citizenship Amendment Bill was regressive and said the legislation was “not even 0.001% against the minorities of the country”. As Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury called the bill “nothing but a targeted legislation over minority people of our country”, Shah said he was ready to respond to all queries “but the Opposition must not walk out”.