Maharashtra Congress Leader Slams Shiv Sena Over Walk-out During Citizenship Amendment Bill Vote

Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress leader Ratnakar Mahajan on Wednesday lashed out at Shiv Sena which staged a walk-out from the Rajya Sabha during the voting on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

The NCP, another partner in the ruling alliance in the state, however, said the Sena's boycott of voting meant it was not on the same page as the BJP over the contentious piece of legislation. The Rajya Sabha passed the bill with 125 votes in its favour and 105 against it.

The Shiv Sena staged a walk-out from the House seeking clarification on certain issues. "Unfortunate, sad...Is Sanjay Raut's speech on the bill sign of the Shiv Sena's confusion on the issue or an idea of keeping all options open? Their move of boycotting proceedings under the pretext of seeking clarification is indefensible and it will be naive to believe that it didn't understand that boycotting will help the ruling party,"

Mahajan said in a Facebook post. NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik, however, said, "They (Shiv Sena) staged a walk-out means they are not on the same page as the BJP on the bill."

Another NCP leader, wishing anonymity, said that even if Shiv Sena had voted, its three votes would not have helped the opposition.

"So their walk-out shows they are not siding with the BJP unlike in the Lok Sabha," the leader noted. The Shiv Sena, which has 18 Lok Sabha members, had supported the bill in the lower House.

The Sena formed government in Maharashtra by joining hands with the ideologically different NCP and Congress after severing ties with its erstwhile ally BJP last month.

The common minimum programme of the three parties said that issues regarding constitutional provisions and those having a bearing on the secular fabric of the country will be discussed, and only then the parties would spell out their individual stands.

Under the CAB, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014, facing religious persecution, will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.