CAB should be subjected to judicial review

The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) should be subjected to judicial review. The BJP government should welcome this idea. Frankly, the Congress might not have been the original votary of the division of the sub-continent and transfer of population on religious grounds, but without it, ceding to the demand for partition would not have been possible.

Therefore, it must owe up full responsibility for the bloodied and barbaric division of the country. As a Hindu majority country in the world, if it did not provide shelter to the persecuted non-Muslim groups, who else will? The Bill is not anti-Muslim because Islam is the State religion of all three countries; besides, persecuted Muslims, if any, of these countries could seek protection of a host of other Islamic nations, whereas India is a Hindu-majority, albeit a secular country.

However, the disruption and protests in Assam and other parts of the Northeast must be handled with tact and circumspection without re-igniting the agitation against 'foreigners.' For, the ongoing protest in Assam and a few other parts of the Northeast is not so much against the Bill but against the likely settlement of its beneficiaries in the region and thus weaken their ethnic character.

-A Shravan, Domalguda, Hyderabad

II

It is unfortunate to note that despite massive protest by Opposition parties, people of Assam and other Northeast States, the Rajya Sabha has passed Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), which is giving Indian citizen ship to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Muslims and Sri Lankan Tamils were left out of the ambit of the Citizenship Bill, treating them as "termites" and "infiltrators". Due to abrogation of Article 370 and withdrawing of special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the Himalayan territories are still burning.

Now because of NRC and CAB, Assam and north eastern States are burning. The intension behind the BJP governance wanting to carry out a nationwide exercise and its actual execution remains murky. 19 lakh people have been left out of the NRC in Assam and an estimated 12 lakhs are Hindus.

Now the BJP government intention is to extend NRC process towards the whole country, which means again after post demonetisation, people are going to be compelled to stand in queues, holding papers to prove their citizenship. So if we don't protest against CAB- NRC now, soon we will be standing in queues holding papers.

Sonia Gandhi has rightly said that the passage of the Bill marks a "a dark day" in the Constitutional history of India and a victory of narrow-minded and bigoted forces. Passing of the Bill is attack on India's sovereignty, so irrespective of religion, all people should oppose the Bill as it is unconstitutional.

-Zeeshaan, Kazipet, TS