If Citizenship (Amendment) Bill passed, it will be victory of Jinnah's thoughts over Gandhi's: Tharoor

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday said if the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is passed by Parliament, it will be a victory of the thoughts of Muhammad Ali Jinnah over Mahatma Gandhi. Participating in the debate on the contentious Bill, Tharoor said the proposed legislation goes against the basic principle of the Constitution.

"If this bill is passed, then it will be a victory of Muhammad Ali Jinnah's thoughts over Mahatma Gandhi," he said. According to the proposed legislation, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, till December 31, 2014, and facing religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants and will be given Indian citizenship.