Women’s rights group at the forefront of the movement against triple talaq has urged members of Parliament to reject the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, saying it discriminates against citizens on religious grounds. It has sought its review by the Cabinet.
“The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, if passed, would validate the two-nation theory under which India was divided. The birth of Bangladesh in 1971 provides evidence that religion cannot be the basis of a nation and nationality. The passage of this Bill will make us resemble Pakistan, where the governments and the Army are struggling to forge a religion-based nation even 70 years after its formation,” the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) said in a statement on Monday.
The BMMA said the government should ensure a sound economy, employment, education, farmers’ well-being and women’s safety and security, instead of polarisation of citizens on religious lines.
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Instead of offering citizenship only to Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, India must open its doors to all persecuted people “such as Sri Lankan Tamils, the Rohingiya, the Shias, the Hazaras, the Ahmediyas, secular bloggers and all others who identify themselves with our democratic ethos and seek refuge in our multi-cultural, multi-faith nation,” it said.