Replying to Home Minister Amit Shah, who while tabling the Citizenship (Amendment Bill) in Rajya Sabha said no Indian Muslim need to worry about the bill, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said no Indian Muslim is scared of the current BJP dispensation. Shah had also said Indian Muslims "were, are and will remain Indian citizens".
Sibal said, “You made a very objectionable statement earlier. Which Muslim fears you? No Indian Muslim fears from you,” adding, “Neither I nor any other citizen of the country is scared of you.” Further, the former Union minister said, “We fear only from the Constitution of the country,” reported the Indian Express.
Moving the bill that provides Indian citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, Shah sought to clarify the criticism that the bill is against Muslims. "There are attempts to spread misinformation that this bill is against Muslims. Let me put it on record that it is not. This bill is only for minority communities of neighbouring countries. It has nothing to do with Muslims in India," the home minister had said.
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"Indian Muslims are safe and shall always remain safe. I appeal to the Indian Muslims that please do not fall for misinformation. Please do not be misguided. Please do not live in fear. Live fearlessly," Shah had further said.
Opposing CAB in the upper house, Congress leader Anand Sharma had said the manifesto of any political party cannot be above the Constitution of the country. The deputy leader of opposition termed the controversial bill "divisive, discriminatory" and against the fundamentals of the Indian Constitution.
Taking a dig at the home minister, the Congress leader said, "You are saying this is a historic bill, but how it will be evaluated in history, this you get to know later." "We are opposing it and the reason for that is not political, but constitutional and moral. I am convinced that the bill which you have brought is an assault on the foundational values of our Constitution," he said, adding that "it hurts the soul of Republic of India" and fails the "morality" test.
(With PTI inputs)
