CAA passed as 'reaction to fiasco in Assam': Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday said that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act was passed as a "reaction to the fiasco in Assam".

Addressing an event here, Chidambaram said, "The Citizenship (Amendment) Act was passed as a reaction to the fiasco in Assam. Because after spending Rs 1,400 crore during an exercise in Assam not once but twice. The first exercise found over 40 lakh people in a population of 3.5 crore stateless. The revised exercise found 19 lakh people as stateless. People of Assam rejected both the exercises."

He added, "When the people of Assam rejected both the exercises, the Modi government woke up and said we have to do something and the result was Citizenship (Amendment), Bill."

While delivering a lecture on CAA-NRC-NPR and the Union Budget, the former union minister said, "Modi off course twist facts, he says Congress party has opposed giving citizenship to persecuted refugees in India. Here I say it, the Congress Working Committee has said that we are not against who has been included in the Act. We have a problem with who have been excluded in the Act."

"Under our Constitution, you cannot distinguish on the basis of religion," he added.

Chidambaram said that Congress is opposing the Act on the ground of "constitutional morality and constitutional legality".

"We are pretty confident that Supreme Court will strike down this Act and redeem the honour of India in people," he added.

The Congress leader further stated that today "world over India's stock has plummeted.