CAA ahead of LS polls means attack on parliamentary democracy: Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) president Sharad Pawar on Monday condemned the Centre's decision to notify the rules for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), saying the move just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls amounts to an attack on parliamentary democracy.

The Centre announced the implementation of the CAA 2019, a move that comes four years after the contentious law was passed by Parliament and paves the way for citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. With this, the government will now start granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from the three countries.

Talking to reporters here, Pawar hit out at the Centre over the CAA notification which comes just ahead of the announcement of the schedule for Lok Sabha polls, likely to be held in April-May.

"Such a decision days ahead of the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls by the Election Commission of India (ECI) is an attack on parliamentary democracy. We condemn it," the former Union minister said.

The opposition NCP (SP) separately said the CAA decision has been taken to divert people's attention from the controversy over electoral bonds.

"The CAA notification is a spin by the @BJP4India led government to take the attention away from the Electoral bonds issue," claimed Clyde Crasto, national spokesperson the Sharad Pawar-led NCP.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court rejected the State Bank of India's plea seeking an extension of time and ordered it to disclose the details of electoral bonds to the Election Commission by close of business hours on March 12. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud also directed the EC to publish the details on March 15.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said CAA was being implemented since the ruling dispensation realises there is no wave of support in its favour ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

"The Ram Temple was inaugurated but the expected wave of support is not seen. Now, they are trying to create another wave by issuing CAA notification. At times, they also try to polarise people over Hindu-Muslim issues," he alleged.

"No matter how many communal or other types of tension are created by the Union government, Narendra Modi will not become prime minister again," Raut claimed.