Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday said that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 is "divisive" and has been brought to "break" India.
"The Bill was brought to break India. Consolation price is given to smaller states of the northeast. This bill is half-baked, half-boiled and divisive. That's why people of Assam are angry. This bill should not be passed in Rajya Sabha. We will also raise our voices against it. This Bill is taking India to danger side so everyone should worry about this," Chowdhury told ANI.
Opposition parties including Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Trinamool Congress, DMK are protesting against the bill which aims to grant Indian citizenship to minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
People in some northeast states are protesting against the Bill, which will be tabled in Rajya Sabha today after it was passed by Lok Sabha with a majority of 311 votes against 80 in the Lower House where 391 members were present and voted on Monday.
In the 245-member Rajya Sabha, the halfway mark is currently 121 as five seats are vacant bringing down the strength of the House to 240.