Congress spokesperson Dr Udit Raj protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act in New Delhi on Wednesday
The recently passed Citizenship Amendment Act is not only anti-Muslim, but even anti-Dalit in character, Congress spokesperson Dr Udit Raj alleged on Wednesday. He was addressing a protest at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
“While the law does appear to be biased against Muslims, it will in fact impact country’s Dalits in the long-run. It is anti-Dalit in its very nature,” said Dr Raj, who is also the chairman of the All India Confederation of SC/ST organisations.
He explained that the law violated four provisions of Article 14 of the Indian Constitution, as it discriminated on the grounds of religion, race, caste and the place of birth.
“Today, this government is bringing in a law that excludes Muslims. Tomorrow, they will introduce a legislation that would adversely affect Dalits,” said the Congress leader.
The former MP warned that the law had the potential to unleash the same chaos across the country that had been witnessed during demonetisation. “This law is even more dangerous,” he added.
He also hit out at the government for cracking down on students from Jamia Milia Islamia who were protesting the Act on Sunday, noting that this government didn’t like being questioned.
The Congress has challenged the citizenship law in Supreme Court, with January 22 set as the next date of hearing.
"The Act lacks a method or a framework on how the government is planning to verify whether refugees are persecuted or not. Also, the Home Minister keeps referring to persecuted minorities, but the Act doesn't mention the term in the same context," senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who is the petitioner for the party, said at a presser at Congress headquarters on Wednesday.
The Congress has argued in its petition that not only is the Act unconstitutional, but also against India’s international obligations and violates agreements signed by previous governments.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has rejected the opposition’s allegations as baseless, accusing Congress of misleading people of the country by spreading misinformation on the Act.
