GUWAHATI, Jan 27 - The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), could strain India�s relations with Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and it might also encourage radical Islamic elements in both the neighbouring countries, said Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Abdul Khaleque.
Addressing a press conference here today, Khaleque also called for immediate arrest of former Jawaharlal Nehru University scholar Sharjeel Imam but cautioned against any attempt by the government to bring division in the ongoing anti-CAA agitation by using his controversial comments.
�We welcome the Supreme Court�s decision to segregate the matter of Assam and Tripura regarding the CAA. And we are optimistic about getting justice from the Supreme Court. Some people are saying that the problem will be solved if Muslims are also made eligible for citizenship under the CAA. I do not support that view. In the case of Assam, March 25, 1971 is the base year... We oppose all infiltrators who came in after that date, irrespective of religion. CAA will not stop infiltration. It will only encourage new infiltration,� he said.
He added that while India�s relations with Pakistan are not good, New Delhi has friendly relations with Bangladesh and Afghanistan. �It (CAA) could strain our relationship with Bangladesh and Afghanistan,� he added.
Khaleque said the Taliban in Afghanistan and the radical Islamic groups in Bangladesh could get encouraged by the CAA and make life miserable for minorities there. On the issue of Imam, Khaleque said, �Nobody had heard of Imam till three days ago. Now they (BJP) want to spread communal hatred citing Imam�s comments. I condemn his statement and demand his arrest,� said the Congress MP. Regarding the recent statement made in the Assembly by Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma that the percentage of Assamese-speaking people has declined in many minority-dominated parts of the State as per the 2011 Census figure, Khaleque demanded a judicial enquiry on the Census data.
