Assam: Bandh Called in Guwahati to Oppose Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019; Shops Shut, Normal Life Hit
According to the Lok Sabha’s List of Business for Monday, the Bill to amend the six-decade-old Citizenship Act will be held in the lower house later in the day. It will then be taken up for discussion and passage.
Guwahati, December 9: Several shops in Assam's Guwahati were shut following a shutdown call by various organisations. These organisations have called for a bandh for opposing Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019. The Bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. On Monday, the Bill is all set to be introduced in Lok Sabha by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. According to the Lok Sabha’s List of Business for Monday, the Bill to amend the six-decade-old Citizenship Act will be held in the lower house later in the day. It will then be taken up for discussion and passage.
Apart from Assam, the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 has triggered widespread protests in several states across the nation. A large section of people and organisations have been opposing the Bill, saying it will nullify the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985, which fixed March 24, 1971, as the cut-off date for deportation of all illegal immigrants irrespective of religion.
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In Bengaluru, several activists, retired teachers and others protested against the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Bill on Sunday. Meanwhile, a silent protest was staged by activists and locals in Telangana's Hyderabad against the Bill.
According to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB), 2019, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, till December 31, 2014, facing religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship
The Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 was an election promise of the BJP in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.The BJP government had introduced the Bill in its previous tenure and got the Lok Sabha’s approval, but it did not introduce it in the Rajya Sabha due to protests in the Northeast, after which the Bill lapsed following the dissolution of the last Lok Sabha.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 09, 2019 11:51 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).