While two of the Telugu state parties the YSRCP and the TDP voted for the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) 2019, the TRS voted against the controversial Act that gives Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities from neighbouring countries but excludes minority Muslim sects. The bill was passed on Wednesday with 125 Member of Parliament (MPs) from various parties voting for the bill, while 99 voted against.
All three Telugu parties together muster 10 seats in the Rajya Sabha, both the Andhra-based YSRCP and TDP with two MPs each and the Telangana-based TRS with six MPs.
The YSRCP had supported the bill both in the Lok Sabha and in the Rajya Sabha. The party led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, accused in a disproportionate asset case, had earlier extended support to the NDA in getting the controversial Triple Talaq bill and also the RTI amendment bill into Acts.
While voting for the CAB in the Lok Sabha, the YSRCP leader Midhun Reddy had said that his party had certain concerns about the bill excluding Muslims minorities sects like Ahmedias and expressed hope that the Centre would address the concerns.
In February this year, while N Chandra Babu Naidu was still the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, he would call the bill as going "against the interest of the indigenous people of Assam and North East." Naidu at the time was staging a dharna in New Delhi demanding special status for Andra Pradesh, he would go on to accuse the BJP of using the CAB to play “communal politics”. Referring to violence in Punjab and J&K, he stateed that his party, then with 6 MPs in the Rajya Sabha, would vote against the bill.
Much of Naidu’s fortunes have changed since his party lost state elections in May. The party at present is trying hard to get back into the good books of their former ally, the BJP. On Wednesday, two of the TDP MPs voted for the CAB in Rajya Sabha.
The TRS in Telangana have umbrage with the BJP. The state's Chief Minister in his recent visit to Delhi to meet the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discuss state-related issues on pending GST and other payments was not given an appointment.
The cold shoulder from the central BJP leadership is despite the TRS extending support to the BJP over the years in supporting bills such as the Triple Talaq, RTI amendment and Centre policies, such as demonetisation and GST.
The TRS party leadership had issued a whip to its RS members to vote against the bill.The Telangana’s pink party also has to take into account their "friendly party" the AIMIM that spearheaded the campaign against the CAB in both the houses of parliament. TRS is of the view that the bill goes against the interests of Muslim communities.