Opposition parties have opposed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 terming it as unconstitutional. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma of Congress alleged that the bill is an attack on the soul of the Constitution. He said the Constitution has the provisions for citizenship, but religion was never a criterion for this. Congress MP Kapil Sibal said the bill has far-reaching consequences which cannot be imagined.<br />''<br />''Opposing the Bill, Derek O'Brien of TMC alleged that the government brought the bill to cover up its mistakes done through the NRC in Assam. Javed Ali Khan of Samajwadi Party also accused the government of working to marginalize the Muslims in India. He alleged that the bill is an attack on the secular fabric of the country. Satish Chandra Mishra of BSP said the bill is against the Preamble of the Constitution as Muslims have been excluded. <br />''<br />''K. Keshav Rao of TRS questioned the government as to why the people of Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Myanmar who are persecuted on religious basis have not been included under the legislation. <br />''<br />''T. K. Rangarajan of CPI (M) also opposed the bill. Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena attacked the BJP, saying it is wrong to paint as anti-national those who opposed the bill. <br />''<br />''DMK's Tiruchi Shiva alleged that one particular community has been targeted in this legislation. He also questioned the exclusion of religiously persecuted people of Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Myanmar from the ambit of the bill. Prof. Manoj Jha of RJD said the bill is against the basic ethos of India and rejected government claim that NRC and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 201 have different purposes to serve.  <br />''<br />''On the other hand, supporting the bill, BJP Working President J P Nadda said the legislation was necessary as the neighbouring country like Pakistan has failed to protect the interests of minorities. R C P Singh of JD(U) accused the Opposition of creating fear among the Muslims in the name of this legislation. He said JD(U) will always stand against injustice on the basis of religion. Vijila Sathanathan of AIADMK also supported the bill terming it as historic.<br />