CPI(M) writes to PM on Citizenship Act
NEW DELHI,
May 25, 2012
Aarti Dhar
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has asked the
government to amend the Citizenship Act, to provide Indian citizenship
to a large number of refugees from Bangladesh, both before and after its
formation.
It is said there had been a consensus in
Parliament when the National Democratic Alliance was in power at the
Centre.
In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,
CPI(M) General Secretary, Prakash Karat, has drawn attention towards
“the citizenship problems of the large number of refugees from erstwhile
East Bengal, and then even after the formation of Bangladesh, who had
to flee their country in particular historic circumstances on which they
had no control”.
He said their situation was
“different from those who have come to India due to economic reasons”.
Reminding Dr. Singh of his speech in Parliament when he
was the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha during the NDA
government that had brought the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2003, Mr.
Karat quoted: “With regard to the treatment of refugees after the
partition of our country, the minorities, in countries like Bangladesh,
have faced persecution, and it is our moral duty that, if circumstances
force people, these unfortunate people, to seek refuge in our country,
the approach to granting citizenship to these unfortunate persons should
be more liberal.”
Mr. Karat also quoted then Deputy
Prime Minister L. K. Advani as saying “I am fully in agreement with the
views expressed by the Leader of the Opposition.”
Mr.
Karat said the issue of amending the Citizenship Act was still pending
even after a decade, and, in the meanwhile, “the insecurity felt by the
refugees is heightened”, as in the ongoing drive for Aadhar ID cards
they were “excluded and considered illegal migrants facing the constant
threat of deportation”.
Pointing out that lakhs of
families, a majority of them from scheduled caste communities, were
affected, he asked the Prime Minister to take urgent steps to amend the
law, and bring relief to these unfortunate families living across India.