Shahi Imam slams Citizenship Bill, calls it unconstitutional

Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 8

Terming Citizenship Bill ‘unconstitutional’ and against the secular fibre of the country, Shahi Imam of Punjab Maulana Habib-ur-Rahman said granting citizenship rights on the basis of religion was not justified at all and it was violative of the basic principles of the Indian Constitution.

Addressing a news conference in the city today, he said the constitution was very clear about it that India was a secular state and no person could be given any preferential treatment on the basis of his or her religion.

The Imam said the plea of the Modi-led NDA government that minorities facing repression in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, ought to be granted Indian citizenship did not hold water as minorities (including Muslims) in China, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka were also placed in a similar situation.

“If Muslims in any of these nations are feeling threatened then they also deserve to be given asylum on humanitarian grounds,” he asserted.

Rahman pointed out that while the entire world was grappling with global terrorism, the Modi government was pursuing its political agenda in the name of religion.

“A terrorist has no religion and it would be grossly unfair on the part of political dispensation to blame any particular religion for acts of terror,” he said while adding that the government had failed to come to terms with major issues like inflation, rising prices and unemployment and the citizenship issue was being used as diversion.