'Reviving two-nation theory': Asaduddin Owaisi on Citizenship Bill

Opposition parties, including Congress among others, have opposed the Bill arguing that the Constitution does not permit granting of citizenship on the basis of religion. 'This law also violates Article 14 and 21 because you are giving citizenship on the basis of religion which contravenes both the Articles. If we pass this law then it will be a disrespect towards Mahatma Gandhi and Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution,' the Hyderabad MP said. The Bill is aimed at providing citizenship to six communities— Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Parsis. Notably, the Muslims find themselves excluded from the list. States in the northeast where the Inner-line-Permit (ILP) is applicable — Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland and regions under the Sixth Schedules — will be kept out of the CAB. Reacting to this exception, Owaisi said: 'If media reports are correct that Northeast states will be exempted from proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) law then it in itself is a great violation of Article 14 which is a fundamental right. You can't have 2 laws on citizenship in the country.' On Tuesday, defence minister Rajnath Singh, in an address to BJP parliamentarians, had said the bill will be placed before the House soon. The minister dismissed the Opposition's objections over the bill and said the BJP had always worked to unite the country. 'If religious minorities are being persecuted in those countries, it is our duty to deliver justice to them. It is not linked to any religion,' Singh said. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: Hindustan Timeshttps://www.sbnation.com/users/vinoudsreera