'Opposition hampering national interest by creating chaos over CAA': Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday slammed the opposition and blamed it for creating chaos in the country over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. He alleged that they were trying to "hamper the national interest."

"I believe that some people are trying to hamper the national interest. The opposition always tries to attack the interest of the people and creates confusion in the nation. When the citizenship bill was passed they were given an opportunity to speak in the parliament but again they are trying to create chaos," Naqvi told the media.  

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He also highlighted that the Citizenship Act is for those people who were suffering in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. "The Citizenship Act is for the Indian people who have been suffering. This is for the people from those three countries who are continuously being tortured and are being oppressed. So this bill gives respect to the basic human rights," Naqvi said.

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The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019, was passed by Parliament on December 11 and became an Act after receiving the President's assent on December 12. The Act provides citizenship to persecuted minorities of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who came to India before December 31, 2014. 

Pleas filed in SC challenging CAA

Several petitions, including those by Congress MP Jairam Ramesh and Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, were filed in the Supreme Court on Friday. President Ram Nath Kovind had given assent to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 on Thursday night, turning it into an Act. 

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The plea by Ramesh, which is settled by senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Devadatta Kamat, has sought to quash of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, as "unconstitutional, null and void and ultra vires" Article 14 (equality before law) and Article 21 (protection of life and personal liberty) of the Constitution.  Mahua Moitra said in her plea that the Act is a "divisive, exclusionary and discriminatory piece of legislation that is bound to rend the secular fabric irreparably, and allow illegal migrants of particular religions to acquire citizenship immediately upon its passage." 

Several other petitioners including All Assam Students Union (AASU), Indian Union Muslim League, Peace Party, NGOs 'Rihai Manch' and Citizens Against Hate, advocate ML Sharma, law students have also approached the Supreme Court challenging the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, that passed in both Houses of the Parliament. 

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(With inputs from ANI)