No party opposed CAA at initial stage in Parliament: Bagde

BJP MLA and former Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly Haribhau Bagde claimed here on Wednesday that no party opposed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill when it was sent to a parliamentary panel.

MPs of all parties were part of the committee, so why non-BJP parties were now raising a hue and cry over the amended act, he asked.

Bagde was addressing a rally following a march from Kranti Chowk to Aurangpura in the city in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).

"It was decided to send the bill to a joint committee in which Members of Parliament of every party were included. They participated in its meetings and did not oppose the bill, so why are they opposing it now," he said.

"This bill was there since 1955. Even (former prime minister) Manmohan Singh, who was Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha then, had demanded implementation of this law in 2003," the BJP leader claimed.

The amended Citizenship Act fast-tracks grant of citizenship for non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It has given rise to protests across the country as it is being perceived as discriminatory.