Newly ‘Secular’ Uddhav Thackeray Refuses To Support Citizenship Amendment Bill Until It Becomes Clear To Him

Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday (10 December) said that his party will not support the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 in unless the ‘things are clear’.

“We will not give support to the Bill (Citizenship Amendment Bill) unless things are clear,” the Maharashtra CM said, as reported by ANI.

The Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra is backed by the Nationalist Congress Party and Congress, which are vehemently opposing the Bill that seeks to give citizenship to persecuted minorities, including Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Buddhists and Jains, of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

“If any citizen is afraid of this Bill than one must clear their doubts. They are our citizens so one must answer their questions too,” Thackeray said.

“Anyone who disagrees is a 'deshdrohi' is their illusion. We have suggested changes in Citizenship Amendment Bill we want in Rajya Sabha. It is an illusion that only BJP cares for the country,” he added.

Earlier on Monday (9 December), the Lok Sabha, in a late night sitting , passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill amidst a vote of 311 in its favour and 80 against it out of 391 members who were present and voting.

The bill will now be tabled in Rajya Sabha, where the NDA, on its own, doesn’t have the majority to sail the bill through and would require support of other parties.