Former Union finance minister Yashwant Sinha Sunday said the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is "wrong" in all aspects and claimed there is no chance of getting it passed in the Rajya Sabha as the government is "unlikely" to introduce it in the Upper House.
Delivering a lecture on 'State of the Nation and the way forward' here, Sinha, who had quit the BJP last year, appealed the people "not to give a single seat" to the party during the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
"You are concerned whether Citizenship (Amendment) Bill will be passed in the Rajya Sabha. I think it is the biggest concern of North East at this moment. All those people I spoke to, they are determined not to pass the Bill. So I do not think the government will dare to pass the Bill.
"That's why I believe it will not be passed in this session. So no chance that it will be passed by this government," he said.
Sinha claimed that "this government is not coming back to power again. So there is no need to worry about the Bill."
He said "This Bill should not be passed because it is wrong from all aspects. It is a question of sheer existence for Assam and the North East people. If anyone tried to eliminate your existence, then people will obviously protest and fight against it. That is why the entire North East is protesting."
The former Union minister said the Bill is "wrong" from Constitutional, moral, legal and equality aspects as well as "against the country's ethos".
"There is nothing positive in the Bill for which it should be passed. I am firmly standing with you in opposition of the Bill. I will always come and stand with you in protesting against the Bill," he said.
More From This Section
Sinha opined that when an agreement is signed by a government, it should not be changed by the next government because "if it is done, then the trust and faith on the country and its people will be lost".
"That is why, we do not have the right to change an accord which had been solemnly arrived at by a previous government, even if it is very unpopular for the present dispensation. It is a national commitment, which has to be maintained at all cost," he added.
Attacking the NDA government at the Centre over various issues, Sinha said: "Should such a government come back in this country? So, please make sure that you do not give a single seat (to the BJP) in the North East. We all should try for this."
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8, seeks to provide Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India even if they do not possess any document.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
