CAA fundamentally anti-national, targets a community, says Shashi Tharoor

Terming Citizenship (Amendment) Act 'fundamentally anti-national', Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday alleged that the act targets a particular community.

Speaking to ANI, Tharoor said, "I spoke in Parlament when the CAA came up. I objected to the Home Minister. Any law that is seen targetting any community is fundamentally anti-national. They (Centre) should not proceed with it. I welcome the fact that for two years they have not yet written the rules or implemented the law."

"I hope they will think very long and hard before doing anything so foolish. It will needlessly divide the country. I will urge the government not to recklessly endanger the social harmony of the country," he added.

Further, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Dola Sen reiterated that the Centre will have to repeal CAA just like farm laws.

"A union minister in a written reply in the Parliament yesterday said that National Register of Citizens (NRC) will not be implemented throughout India. They have (central government) repealed the three farm laws. We believe they will have to repeal the NRC. The ball is in their court now," the TMC MP told ANI.

Notably, a delegation of West Bengal BJP leaders will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi today demanding the implementation of the CAA in the state.

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) allows persecuted minorities belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan to avail of Indian citizenship.

The Opposition parties and several groups have protested against the implementation of CAA. There was widespread protest across the country leading to the deaths of many people in violence after the CAA was passed by Parliament in 2019.