NCP MP Majeed Memon questions Amit Shah over protests, calls for proper scrutiny of Bills

NCP leader Majeed Memon on Monday questioned Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the ongoing protests and violence in different parts of the country. He raised doubts over whether the Citizenship Amendment Act was beneficial to the people of the country. Alleging that the government was manipulating numbers in the Parliament for the passage of legislation, he criticised it for not seeking proper scrutiny of Bills. He contended that this could have disastrous consequences. 

Read: 50 Students, Detained During Protests At Jamia, Released: Police

Read: No Need To Fear, Indian Muslims Neither Intruders Nor Refugees: NCM Chairman On CAA

Protests in Delhi

Memon’s remarks assume significance in the wake of clashes in the national capital on Sunday. People protesting against the CAA clashed with the police in New Friends Colony near Jamia Millia Islamia University leaving nearly 60 people injured. Subsequently, there were reports of students being injured and detained as the police entered the Jamia campus. In the early hours of Monday, 50 students were released by the police from the Kalkaji police station and the New Friends Colony police station.  

Read: Nadda Directs State BJP Heads To Protest Against Anti-CAA Parties For Spreading 'rumours'

What is CAA?

The CAA seeks to provide citizenship to the minority communities namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This will be applicable to the members of these communities having arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. Moreover, they will not be considered as illegal migrants. Additionally, the mandatory residence period for naturalised citizenship for these communities would be reduced to 5 years. Several states in the North East have witnessed protests against this legislation. The opposition contends that the Act discriminates on the basis of religion, which might go against Article 14, which guarantees the right to equality. Incidentally, Memon who is also a Rajya Sabha MP was absent during the voting process due to health reasons.  

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