CAB an attempt to ethnically cleanse North East: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday called the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 an attempt by the central government to "ethnically cleanse the North East".

"The CAB is a attempt by Modi-Shah Govt to ethnically cleanse the North East. It is a criminal attack on the North East, their way of life and the idea of India," he said on Twitter.

"I stand in solidarity with the people of the North East and am at their service," he continued. The Congress leader made the remark while sharing a news report about the protests in parts of the northeast over the Bill.

The Bill seeks to give citizenship to refugees from the Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Zoroastrian communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.

The cut-off date for getting citizenship under the bill is December 31, 2014.

It was passed in Lok Sabha on Monday with a majority of 311 votes against 80 votes where 391 members were present and voting.

At noon today, it was tabled in the Rajya Sabha by Home Minister Amit Shah.