New Delhi, December 12 (RHC)-- In India, the upper house of Parliament has passed the highly controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill, widely known as the “Anti-Muslim” bill. The legislation provides a path to citizenship for immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan — unless they are Muslim. 

The bill is part of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing Hindu nationalist agenda, and many say it’s a major step toward the official marginalization of India’s 200 million Muslims.

The Indian Union Muslim League is petitioning India’s Supreme Court to declare the bill unconstitutional.  Widespread protests against the bill have swept across parts of India this week, especially in the northeast.  The government has deployed the Army to the northeastern state of Assam.

Binoy Viswam, a leader of the Communist Party of India, told reporters in New Delhi: “Not only our party, not only the left, but the whole country will oppose it because that’s a legislation which runs against the basic content of the Constitution.”