Five lawmakers have resigned from India's parliament in protest against anti-migrant violence in the west coast city of Mumbai.
The lawmakers from the Janata Dal (United) party submitted their resignations today, Friday and warned their opposition coalition partners from the National Democratic Alliance to take a stand against the recent spate of anti-migrant attacks in the western state of Maharashtra.Critics and political rivals are calling the resignations a political stunt. But one of the lawmakers, Prabhunath Singh said they had no choice because, in his words "the constitution is under attack" and India's unity is threatened by the violence.
The controversy follows attacks in Mumbai on migrant workers from eastern and northern states. Members of an anti-migrant party -MNS, Maharashtra Reconstruction Army - rioted and targeted outsiders after the party's leader, controversial politician Raj Thackeray, was arrested for inciting anti-migrant violence.