Subramanian Swamy sees big opening in Shiv Sena's CAB stance, urges BJP to 'Win them back'

After the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 (CAB) in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, BJP MP Dr. Subramanian Swamy appreciated the Shiv Sena for not voting against the CAB. The Sena MPs including Sanjay Raut had walked out of the Upper House before the commencement of the voting process. Swamy contended that this was an opportunity for the BJP to tie up once again with the Shiv Sena. The BJP MP went on to suggest that the Sena should be allowed to have its Chief Minister for two and a half years.  

Read: Amid Tension In Maha Vikas Aghadi Over CAB, BJP Extends Olive Branch To Shiv Sena

Read: Secular? Sanjay Raut Says Shiv Sena 'Headmaster Of Hindutva'; CAB Stance Still Unclear

Maharashtra BJP chief hopeful of forming the government with Shiv Sena

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil expressed hope that his party and the Shiv Sena would come together again and form the government in the state. He highlighted that both parties shared the same ideology. This overture assumes significance when the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra is reportedly facing internal fissures. While the party supported the Bill in the Lok Sabha, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray seemed to take a U-turn a day later. As per sources, the Congress threatened to pull out of the Maharashtra government if the Sena did not change its position in the Rajya Sabha. 

Read: Kiren Rijiju Thanks PM Modi And Amit Shah For CAB, Says 'Bill Important For The Country'

Citizenship norms eased

The Upper House passed the Bill by a majority of 125-105 votes. It seeks to provide citizenship to the minority communities namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This will be applicable to the members of these communities having arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. Additionally, the mandatory residence period for naturalised citizenship for these communities would be reduced to 5 years. The opposition contended that the Bill discriminated on the basis of religion, going against Article 14, which guarantees the right to equality. 

Read: PM Modi At BJP Meet: Opposition Speaking Pakistan's Language On Citizenship Bill