Modi ‘beating’ people with stick: Trinamool MPs puts up unique protest against Centre

New Delhi, Jan 8: A number of MPs of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday, January 8, came up with a unique protest inside the Parliament complex against the Citizenship Bill brought by the BJP-led central government. A video which was posted by news agency ANI showed one of the MPs wearing a mask of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and wielding a stick in his hand and 'intimidating' the other MPs who were playing victims and shouted for help. The idea was to project the prime minister as a leader who cared little for the people and caused them distress through the bill.

The protesting MPs also raised slogans against the Modi government and sought recalling of the bill.

The government tabled the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday after it was approved by the Union Cabinet on Monday to give citizenship to illegal migrants of six minority groups that are non-Muslim from countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The move led to a wide protest from the Opposition in the Northeast states as they alleged that it was being done to target one specific community.

The move has triggered a major controversy in Assam and other northeastern states with the opposition alleging that it has been done to target one particular community. On Monday, the Asom Gana Parishad pulled out of the BJP government in Assam to protest the Citizenship Bill.