Bengaluru: The secretary of CPI(M) Sitaram Yechury has said, just like many members of the opposition, that the Citizenship Amendment Act violates the Indian Constitution. 

Addressing a group of students, he said, "In Banaras, the entire CPM's District Committee has been arrested and 69 other people have also been arrested, out of which only 14 are Muslims. This situation arises because Indian youths are rising in defence of our Constitution. CAA violates our Constitution; because in our Constitution, citizenship cannot be defined on the basis of the religion of a person."

This issue of the CAA violating Indian Constitution has been dealt with in detail by famous lawyer Harish Salve as well. He had said that the Act doesn’t violate article 14 of the Constitution as this particular article has to be viewed with the prism of intelligible differentia. When it comes to societal good, the government can positively differentiate with a view to absorbing the less privileged or marginalised into the mainstream. 

As regards other articles 15 and 21, he had clearly maintained that these two articles can be invoked only in cases involving Indian citizens. As of now, those religiously persecuted Hindus and non-Muslims in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh continue to be refugees and don’t come under the bracket of citizens. 

Sitaram Yechury also reiterated that the NRC and NPR are not in the good interests of the society. 

But on the contrary, be it CAA or NPR or NRC, all these exercises are only to include the less privileged and give them dignity in life. 

The NRC was carried out only in the state of Assam as per the Supreme Court’s orders. The Prime Minister also made it clear that as of now, they have not discussed anything on the NRC, and has assured people it won’t be implemented soon.