Did PM raise persecution issue with Hasina, asks Congress

Bill is a bid to divert attention from NRC failure: MP

The Congress on Monday asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi had ever raised the issue of religious persecution with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, and accused the Modi government of bringing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill to distract from its failure to prepare an error-free National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Addressing a press conference, Lok Sabha member from Assam, Gaurav Gogoi, said the Bill symbolised the “dictatorial approach” of the Union government as it has led to unrest among various groups in northeast India.

The Bill not only violates the basic principles of the Constitution but will also deepen the faultlines between tribals and non-tribals, Mr. Gogoi said.

“This Bill is a symbol of the dictatorial attitude of the BJP. If they care about the people and the sentiments of the Northeast, then they would not have brought this Bill and bulldozed it in such a fashion,” he said.

“This Bill alleges religious persecution in Bangladesh, yet in the past six years, we have never heard Prime Minister Narendra Modi raise this issue with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Can the BJP government give any evidence as to when Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi raised the subject of religious persecution with his Bangladeshi counterpart,” he asked.