Meghalaya Governor, Tathagata Roy, on Monday said no state government can legally have a view of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and opposition to the bill is the height of absurdity.
Roy had tweeted:
“Regarding the Citizenship Amendment Bill(CAB) CONSTITUTIONAL POSITION is that as per Entry 17 of the Union List of the 7th Schedule to the Constitution,CITIZENSHIP IS A CENTRAL SUBJECT. NO STATE GOVT CAN THEREFORE LEGALLY HAVE A VIEW ON CAB. Political parties and individuals can.”
He also said that opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is the height of absurdity.
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He further questioned, “Can anyone deny that Pakistan subjected its Hindu and other minorities to unbelievable persecution and forced them to flee to India?”
“The worst sufferers were my people, East Bengal Hindus!,” he said.
“Unlike Punjabis, their exodus was one-way. Muslim percentage in Indian Bengal rose from 20 per cent in 1951 to 30 per cent today!” Roy added.
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“Yet ‘seculars’ demand that the Muslim tormentors and the Hindu tormented must be placed on the same footing because India’s ‘secular ethos’ demands it! CAB will right this wrong,” he asserted.
According to Roy, Punjabis did suffer, but they made the Muslims leave Indian Punjab.
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So that there was exchange of population and property, he reiterated.
“No such thing for Bengali refugees. Nehru made a stupid pact with Liaquat Ali and piously expected them to return to East Bengal and be welcomed by Muslims,” Roy said.