Oppn pins hopes on BJP allies in fight against CAB, ‘national NRC’

NEW DELHI: The Congress-led opposition is eager to make a match of the BJP government’s bid to pass the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in Parliament, optimistic that key saffron allies may break ranks over the controversial legislation.
The Centre’s success in ensuring the passage of bills on triple talaq and Kashmir have brought home the fact that Rajya Sabha has tilted towards BJP after five years of struggle.But on the CAB, the opposition is hoping that its controversial nature may hold out a lifeline. It is believed that BJP’s allies from Bihar, Tamil Nadu and north-east will have reservations on the legislation, which the government has said will be followed by a pan-India National Register of Citizens (NRC).
“NRC is not acceptable in Bihar and Tamil Nadu, and has political repercussions. We are still to reach out to any party but we believe we can put up a strong fight,” a Congress strategist said. While the CAB will facilitate citizenship for non-Muslim refugees from neighbouring countries, a ‘national NRC’ will launch an exercise to weed out ‘illegal immigrants’ and strip them of citizenship. The NRC was launched in Assam to identify Bangladeshi settlers but has been rejected by BJP after a large number of Hindus were excluded.
The north-east region is up in arms against CAB because locals feel citizenship for settlers would endanger the demographic of largely tribal states. The Centre is engaged with north-east to find a compromise, with offers of exempting certain tribal areas and even states from CAB’s ambit.
A ‘national NRC’ is viewed by many political parties as a source of destabilisation. Given the backdrop, the opposition is optimistic of making a game of the fresh confrontation in Rajya Sabha. TMC’s attitude suggests that there may not be a major split in the opposition ranks this time unlike on triple talaq and Article 370. But for a dissent from the ruling alliance, the opposition may find the going tough. In the last few months, BJP has risen to a strength of 81 in the upper House, while Congress has 46 MPs.