PATNA: JD(U) national vice-president Prashant Kishor on Monday expressed disappointment over his party supporting the
Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB)
in the Lok Sabha, holding that the legislation discriminates against people "on the basis of religion".
In a tweet late in the night when the Bill was put to vote and passed by the Lok Sabha with a resounding majority, Kishor sought to underscore that the Bill was "incongruous” with the constitution of the party, headed by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, which swore by secularism and Gandhian ideals.
"Disappointed to see JDU supporting #CAB that discriminates right of citizenship on the basis of religion. It's incongruous with the party's constitution that carries the word secular thrice on the very first page and the leadership that is supposedly guided by Gandhian ideals," the poll strategist-turned-politician tweeted.
Disappointed to see JDU supporting #CAB that discriminates right of citizenship on the basis of religion. It's inc… https://t.co/aH2sREOyLa
— Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) 1575911667000
Participating in the debate on the Bill, the party's leader in the Lok Sabha, Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh, said on the floor of the House that the JD(U) was supporting the legislation since it was "not against secularism".
Notably, the JD(U) had till recently been in opposition to the National Register for Citizens (NRC) and the CAB, notwithstanding its alliance with the BJP, holding that the moves discriminated against the Muslim population and could trigger massive unrest in the north-east.
Kishor had last month also lashed out at the BJP on his twitter handle, seeking to know chief ministers of how many of the "15 plus states with 55 per cent of population" – not belonging to the saffron party – were consulted over NRC in respective provinces, in what was seen as a rebuttal to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's assertion that the National Register for CitizRead More – Source
