Former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee warns against majoritarianism
New Delhi/IBNS: At a time when the nation is witnessing violent protests against the new citizenship law, former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday cautioned against a "majoritarian government".
Mukherjee, who had once served as the Indian Finance Minister, said a numerical majority in the polls only gives a political party the right to form a "stable" government and not a "majoritarian" one.
"A numerical majority in elections gives you the right to make a stable Government.The lack of popular majority forbids you from a majoritarian Government.That is the message & essence of our Parliamentary Democracy," he said while delivering the second Atal Vihari Vajpayee memorial lecture organised by India Foundation.
Violent protests against the citizenship law occurred in different corners of the country, including New Delhi, in recent times.
President Ram Nath Kovind last week gave his assent to the bill.
The law grants citizenship to Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Parsi but not Muslim refugees who came from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan to India before 2015.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday midnight with a thumping majority of 311 votes in favour of it while 80 MPs had voted against the bill.
The Rajya Sabha passed the bill on Wednesday evening with 125 MPs voting in favour of it while 99 voted went against it.
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