Naqvi slams Mamata, says Citizenship Bill has no link with minorities

Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday targeted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for raising objections over the Centre's idea of introducing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Parliament, saying, the bill has no connection with minorities and people should stop misleading society with such kind of conspiracies.

"How has a minority come into the picture of Citizenship Amendment Bill? Some people should not mislead society. These people should realize that their strategies and conspiracies will not be successful. This Bill has no connection with minorities."

On Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the BJP government at the Centre for planning to introduce the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB), 2019 in Parliament and said the proposed legislation is a "trap" like the National Register of Citizen (NRC) to exclude Bengalis and Hindus as legal citizens of the country.

The Parliament will take up the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 during the nearly-month long winter session which commenced from November 18.

The Citizenship Bill, a key BJP plank, aims at granting citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.

The session, which will go on till December 13, will provide a total of 20 sittings spread over a period of 26 days including four Private Members' days.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8, aims at granting citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.

In February this year, prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC were imposed in East and West Imphal districts ahead of the tabling of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the Rajya Sabha. However, the Bill could not be passed.