'Certain' Courts Will Strike Down Citizenship Amendment Bill, Slap On Face Of MPs: Chidambaram

Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram slammed the Narendra Modi government over the Citizenship Amendment Bill saying that the draft legislation will not stand the legal scrutiny. “This government is asking this parliament to support the government in passing what is patently unconstitutional,” Chidambaram said during the proceedings in the Rajya Sabha. The ex-minister, who is out on bail, took down the government on the controversial bill saying that, “this government is ramming through this Bill in order to advance its Hindutva agenda. This is a sad day.” Talking about the future of the draft legislation and foreseeable legal litmus test, Chidambaram said that, “You think this will stop here? This will go to the judges. But judges and lawyers are not elected, but they will finally take the decision.”

Chidambaram also raised the concerns over the entire concept of classification of refugees in the Bill. “How do you group 3 countries and leave out the other neighbours,” asked the senior Congress leader. “What we are doing today is wrecking the constitution from within... by this insidious Bill,” Chidambaram added.