New Delhi: The final report of the joint parliamentary committee on the Citizenship Amendment Bill, which will be submitted in Lok Sabha on Monday, does not have the approval of at least four opposition parties whose members on the panel have moved dissent notes, sources said on Sunday. Incidentally, the Shiv Sena too said on Sunday that it would oppose the Citizenship Bill in Parliament.
The decision was taken after the Asom Gana Parishad appealed to the Sena asking it to oppose the legislation, party leader Sanjay Raut said in a statement. The members of the Congress, the TMC, the CPM and the Samajwadi Party have moved the dissent notes, sources added.
As members of the joint committee on Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016, we can state that there was no consensus in the committee on the final report. We had been opposed to the bill as it brings out the ethnic divisions in the state of Assam,” one of the notes said.
Members of the committee from the Left and the TMC said that the committee had visited Gujarat, Rajasthan and Assam where they faced major opposition to the bill. The opposition parties said the primary objection was to the alleged linking of religion and citizenship. This is the basic objection. So, delink religion from the citizenship issue. This is against the spirit of our civilisation, culture and our Constitution. Citizenship can’t be linked with state, religion, caste and creed.
it must be country specific. It should be universal,” said another dissenting member. While speaking in Silchar on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reiterated the Centre’s commitment to pass the Citizenship Amendment Bill. The Citizenship Bill is an atonement of the wrong that was done during India’s partition. I hope this Bill is passed soon in Parliament. India will safeguard all those who have been victims of partition,” he said