Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi today wrapped up a heated debate on the Citizenship Amendment Bill by tearing a copy of the legislation in the parliament. "It is an attempt to divide the nation. The proposed law is against our country's constitution," he declared before tearing the document in half.

In his address to the Lok Sabha, Mr Owaisi - who heads the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen - claimed that the Citizenship Amendment Bill would lead to another partition because it is aimed at making Muslims"stateless".

The Lok Sabha parliamentarian claimed that Gandhi gained thetitle "Mahatma" after he tore the discriminatory citizenship card inSouth Africa, and there was no reason why he should not do the same with the Citizenship Amendment Bill. He then went on to tear the document, spurringthose on the treasury benches to describe his act as an "insult" to the parliament.

Mr Owaisi accused the BJP-led government of insulting thecountry's freedom fighters by trying to marginalise Muslims. "The bill is against the constitution.... it is a conspiracy to make Muslims stateless," he said, wondering why the government is not concentrating onits efforts to free parts of the country from foreign occupation instead.

"Are you afraid of China?" he asked, in areference to the neighbouring country's encroachment into Doklam.