Ravi Kishan, a BJP MP from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh sparked controversy when he called for a ‘Hindu Rashtra’, on Wednesday.

Commenting on the debate surrounding the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), Ravi Kishan said that the one resisting CAB are ‘mad’ and instead, should be proud that such a bill is getting passed.

“The population of Hindus is 100 crores, so obviously India is a Hindu Rashtra. There are so many Muslim and Christian countries. It is a matter of pride for all the 130 crore Indians if this bill gets passed. The BJP is known to get most extraordinary bills passed,” he said outside the Parliament while speaking to ANI.

His comments came shortly after the Union Cabinet cleared the controversial bill, which will be tabled in the Parliament next week.

This week, Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed key stakeholders from the northeast and explained the centre’s position on NRC and CAB in the region – offering their tribal areas exemption from the scrutiny of the new legislation.

Condemning NRC, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had, on 3rd December claimed that it was political rhetoric of BJP. “We will not allow the National Register of Citizens (NRC), it will never happen in West Bengal. You cannot implement the NRC on the basis of caste and religion,” she said.

Also Read: Cabinet Clears Contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill