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Reacting to the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill being passed in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the legislation has destroyed the very foundation of the Indian Constitution.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill enables non-Muslim refugees — Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian refugees from three countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan) to apply for Indian citizenship.
“The Bill which RSS passed in Parliament destroys the very foundation of the Indian Constitution. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill denies the concept of secularism itself,” stated Pinarayi in his Facebook post.
The controversial bill, which has sparked protests in parts of the country, was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday with 125 members voting in favour and 105 voting against.
“The legislation is the product of RSS’s crooked idea to divide the people communally and create clashes among them. BJP has once again proved that communalism and the hatred between people are their political weapons,” Pinarayi said.
He also added that Home Minister Amit Shah’s claims on the Bill have proved that he doesn’t give value for secularism.
“Fascism is precisely being spread. There should be strong mechanism to prevent this,” he added.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala stated that the Bill will be opposed legally and politically.
“Granting citizenship in the name of religion cannot be accepted at any cost. It was the British’s idea to divide the country based on religion. The result of it was the country’s division and the communal riots that followed. Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are following the same path,” said Ramesh Chennithala.
He also added that the Congress will challenge CAB by fighting legally in the Supreme Court and by protesting on the streets.
“What has happened now is equal to dividing the country. The repercussions will be far and wide,” Ramesh Chennithala said.
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