Government ramming through CAB to promote Hindutva agenda: Chidambaram in Rajya Sabha

Follow us on

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram took on the government over the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Speaking in the upper house, Chidambaram said that the government was ramming through the Bill to advance its Hindutva agenda. 

Chidambaram, in his opposition to the Citizenship Bill, said that the government was pushing through an unconstitutional bill and he had no doubt that the bill would be struck off by the Supreme Court. 

"This government is ramming through this Bill to advance its Hindutva agenda. This is a sad day. I am absolutely clear that this law will be struck off," Chidambaram said in Rajya Sabha. 

Chidambaram took a jibe at the government on selectively including religions and countries instead of all neighboring nations in the Citizenship Bill. He asked, "Why only consider religious persecution? Persecution is done on so many other levels, politically, socially, what about them?"

He also asked the government to present in front of the house, the basis of its legal arguments. "If the government consulted the Attorney General, there is a provision to call the AG in the house and question him directly. If the Law Ministry gave the government the assurances of the legality of the Bill, the details should be placed in front of the house." 

The Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha lat night on Monday and will face the test of the Rajya Sabha today. The government is confident of passing the bill in the house of 240 MPs. BJP has issued a whip to all its MPs.

Meanwhile, violent protests have broken out in the Northeast with public anger showing on the streets against the implementation of the Citizenship Bill.