New Delhi: Congress MP Kapil Sibal on Wednesday said that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) will make the two-nation theory, which was perpetrated by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a reality.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Sibal alleged that the introduction of the Bill was an attack on the “idea of India.”
“You are going to make the two-nation theory a reality by passing this Bill. This is a historical Bill because you are going to change the Constitution and change the history,” said the former Union Minister.
He also attacked Home Minister Amit Shah for alleging that the two-nation theory was floated by the Congress and said that it was Hindu ideologue, who introduced the theory, which led to the partition.
Taking a jibe on Shah, he said: “I don’t understand which history books the Home Minister has read. The two-nation theory is not our theory. It was perpetrated by Savarkar.”
“I request the Home Minister to withdraw that allegation because we in the Congress believe in that one nation. You don’t believe in that,” he added.
The Congress leader said that the BJP has “no idea of India” and “cannot protect the idea of India”.
The Bill seeks to grant citizenship to refugees from the Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Zoroastrian communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.
The cut-off date for getting citizenship under the bill is December 31, 2014.
It was passed in Lok Sabha on Monday with a majority of 311 votes against 80 votes where 391 members were present and voting.
At noon today, it was tabled in the Rajya Sabha by Home Minister Amit Shah.