Shiv Sena's dwindling stance on CAB? Party to not lend support in Rajya Sabha 'unless things are clear', says Uddhav

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said that the Shiv Sena will not give support to the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) at the Rajya Sabha 'unless things are clear', adding that they have suggested certain changes in the Bill that they want before supporting it in the Rajya Sabha.

"If any citizen is afraid of the Citizenship Amendment Bill then one must clear their doubts. They are our citizens, so one must answer their questions too," said the Shiv Sena chief. He vehemently opposed the prevalent notion that only the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cares for the country.

"It is their (BJP's) illusion that anyone who disagrees with the Bill is a deshdrohi (anti-national). We have suggested changes in the CAB, that we want in the Rajya Sabha. It is an illusion that only the BJP cares for the country," said the recently crowned Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

For context, the Shiv Sena backed the government on passing the CAB in the Lok Sabha on Monday, claiming that the support was given on 'national interest'. Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant, however, had told a media house earlier in the day that the party's support to the Bill is entirely unrelated to its politics in Maharashtra.

But deny as it may, this stance does put the Shiv Sena in an awkward fix in Maharashtra with its new ally, the Congress, which had been opposing the CAB from the get-go, claiming that the Bill targets Muslims and is at odds with the secular principles enshrined in the Constitution as it excludes a community. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi even posted from his official handle on Twitter, stating that the CAB is an 'attack on the Indian constitution.'

"The #CAB is an attack on the Indian constitution. Anyone who supports it is attacking and attempting to destroy the foundation of our nation," Rahul Gandhi tweeted on Tuesday.

The #CAB is an attack on the Indian constitution. Anyone who supports it is attacking and attempting to destroy the foundation of our nation.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 10, 2019

To maintain its agreement on paper with its ally, Shiv Sena's mouthpiece - the Saamana newspaper - had even stated in an editorial that the CAB could be instrumental in the country heading towards an 'invisible partition'. In this scenario, Sena stands on risky grounds and dwindling ideological support. The party's veteran leader, in a bid to balance things out, tweeted on Tuesday, "In politics, nothing is final. It's an evolving situation."

राजनीति में अंतिम कुछ नही होता...
चलता रहता है..

— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) December 10, 2019

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi took this opportunity to slam the Shiv Sena on its debilitating stance on the Citizenship Amendment Bill, calling the party's practices 'Bhangra politics'. "This is 'Bhangra politics'.  They write 'secular', in the Common Minimum Programme in Maharashtra, but this bill is against secularism and Article 14 of the Constitution. It is the politics of opportunism," Owaisi said.

What happens in the Rajya Sabha remains to be seen on Wednesday. Ahead of that, Shiv Sena has demanded changes in the CAB from the government which, if refused, the party said it will not support the bill in the Upper House.