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Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday clarified that it has not asked Assam Government to take action against Editors of mediahouses opposing Citizenship Amendment Bill.
The ministry said that media reports making such a claim are "baseless". The ministry was quoted by news agency ANI.
Citizenship Amendment Bill has been a contentious issue in the country and it has divided public opinion especially in the northeast region of the country.
Home Ministry said that it received a public grievance petition from "one Vinay Joshi" from Maharashtra about the Bill. The ministry further said that it routinely receives such petitions and they are forwarded to concerned state governments.
MHA said that Vinay Joshi's petition has been forwarded to Assam Government and no inquiry has been ordered.
Provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Bill make Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh eligible for Indian citizenship.
The influx of Muslim immigrants has been a sensitive issue in northeastern states for many decades. Citizenship Amendment Bill has restarted the debate over the issue.
The bill was introduced in Lok Sabha in July 2016 by NDA. It was passed on January 8. The bill lapsed when it was tabled in Rajya Sabha.
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