Citizenship stir India’s internal matter: Chinese consul general

“It’s an internal matter of India. We have nothing to say on it. It’s your country and you have to resolve your own issues,” Chinese consul general Zha Liyou said.

In the backdrop of ongoing protests across the country against the amended Citizenship Act, Chinese Consul General to Kolkata, Zha Liyou, on Wednesday said it is an internal matter of India.

Policemen detain a protestor during a protest against a new citizenship law at the Seelampur area of New Delhi on Tuesday, December 7. (AP)

The problem has to be resolved by India alone, he said.

“It’s an internal matter of India. We have nothing to say on it. It’s your country and you have to resolve your own issues,” Liyou told reporters at the sidelines of a programme here.

India and China share a great relationship, he said.

The new Citizenship law, passed in the Parliament last week, has sparked protests in several states across India with protesters demanding its withdrawal.

The amended Citizenship Act seeks to provide citizenship to members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have entered India till December 31, 2014 following religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

The United Nations’ human rights body last week voiced concern over new citizenship law, terming it “fundamentally discriminatory” in nature.