Maharashtra: Discontent in Maha Vikas Aghadi over Citizenship (Amendment) Bill

Shiv Sena's decision to vote for the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 in Lok Sabha on December 10 has not gone down well with its alliance partners – Congress and NCP – in Maharashtra, sources told Moneycontrol.

The Bill, which seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan who came to India till December 31, 2014 and have been residing in the country for at least six years, was passed with 311 to 80 votes after a seven-hour-long debate in the Lower House.

"Apart from violating the tenets of our Constitution, it also violates what the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) stands for. Congress and NCP leaders felt that the Sena should have taken that into consideration while voting on the Bill," a source said, adding that the Congress' top leadership was unhappy about Sena's decision.

Congress leader and party MP Rahul Gandhi on December 9 tweeted that the proposed legislation is "an attack on the Constitution" and "anyone who supports it is attacking and attempting to destroy the foundation of our nation".

Sources said that Gandhi's tweet set the ball rolling in Maharashtra, with top leaders of the state unit indicating their unhappiness clearly to Sena and asking the party to "rethink" its stance during the debate and subsequent voting on the proposed legislation in Rajya Sabha.

"We haven't forced them to change their stance, but senior leaders of the party have made it clear that they are not happy over Sena supporting the Bill. We haven't discussed what effect it would have on the [Maharashtra] government as yet," another Congress source said.

Reports suggest that the Sena might oppose the Bill in Rajya Sabha. On December 10, Maharashtra Chief Minister and Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had said that his party won't back the Bill in the Rajya Sabha till there is clarity on the party's queries posed in the Lok Sabha.

Thackeray told reporters here that a detailed discussion and debate on the Bill was necessary.