UN closely monitoring outcome of India's citizenship law: Spokesperson

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UN closely monitoring outcome of India's citizenship law: Spokesperson

Members accused the ruling BJP of seeking political mileage and forwarding the RSS agenda through such classification

Friday December 13, 2019 11:09 AM, ummid.com with inputs from IANS

United Nations/New Delhi: The UN is closely monitoring the implications of India's Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 (CAB), the passing of which has led to widespread violent protests in the country's northeast region, according to a spokesperson.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Thursday: "We're aware that the Lower and Upper Houses of the Indian Parliament have passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, and we're also aware of the concerns that have been publicly expressed."

"The United Nations is closely analysing the possible consequences of the law", he added.

Haq also said that some of "human rights mechanisms, including our rapporteurs, have already been expressing their concerns about the nature of this law".

The Bill, which has now become a law after President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent on Thursday night, seeks to give refuge to Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis fleeing persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the Muslim community was not persecuted in those three countries, and the Bill specifically seeks to provide citizenship to six religious persecuted minorities.

However, during the debate on the matter in the Parliament, members raised concerns over classification based on religion. Some of the members even suggested that Modi government should have used the word "religious minorities" instead of the classification in the Bill which has now become a law.

Members accused the ruling BJP of seeking political mileage and forwarding the RSS agenda through such classification. They also said that the BJP is working on a larger conspiracy to target Muslims through such legislation, especially when it was passed at the time when the government is pushing for pan India NRC.

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