Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 Passed by Lok Sabha After Heated Debate

New Delhi, December 10: Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The bill was passed after Home Minister Amit Shah proposed that the bill be passed. 311 members voted in favour and 80 MPs voted against the bill. Shah had tabled the bill in the Lok Sabha and slammed the Congress party while introducing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) in the Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, "It would not have been needed had the Congress not allowed partition on the basis of religion". The Bill amends the Citizenship Act, 1955, enacted to provide for acquisition and determination of Indian citizenship, and create a legal pathway to grant Indian nationality on the basis of religion. Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019: List of Parties That Are in Favour And Against CAB.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill witnessed heated debate by 48 parties in the Lok Sabha on Monday. Home Minister Amit Shah, replying to all the parties and MPs, gave a lenghty explanation at the end to allay the fears of the parties and said that bill was not unconstitutional. He added that several parties create a sense of fear among the people and said that the bill will differentiate between an infiltrator and a refugee. Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 in Parliament: How Numbers Stack Up For Modi Government in Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he is "delighted that the Lok Sabha has passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 after a rich and extensive debate." He also applauded Home Minister Amit Shah in his tweet.

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The Prime Minister praised Amit Shah and wrote, "I would like to specially applaud Home Minister @AmitShah Ji for lucidly explaining all aspects of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019. He also gave elaborate answers to the various points raised by respective MPs during the discussion in the Lok Sabha."

Home Minister Amit Shah also said that Article 371 will never be tempered with and added that the "North-Eastern" states in India have nothing to worry about. Shah once again reiterated that the BJP will prioritise and bring  the National Register of Citizens of India (NRC). "Whole of Arunachal Pradesh & Mizoram are protected by the Inner Line Permit (ILP), they have nothing to worry about. All of Nagaland, except a small part of Dimapur is also protected by Inner Line Permit, they too have nothing to worry," he said. Citizenship Amendment Bill Debate: Manipur to be Exempted Via Inner Line Permit, Says Amit Shah; Here's How ILP Will Offset CAB Impact.

Speaking on the CAB, senior Congress leader Manish Tewari said, during the debate some ruling party members were saying the Congress was responsible for the partition of the country on the basis of religion.

"I want to remind them that the idea of partition on the religious basis was first floated in 1935 in Ahmedabad by Savarkar at a Hindu Mahasabha session, and not (by the) Congress," he said. Tewari said the Bill was against Articles 14, 15, 21, 25 and 26 of the Constitution, "unconstitutional" and against the basic right of equality. The Bill was also against the principles of B.R. Amedkar, he added.

Rejecting opposition allegations, Shah said, "I assure that the Bill doesn't violate any article of the Constitution and that no citizen will be deprived of one's rights. Every citizen has been given a place in the Bill on the basis of reasonable classification." The Home Minister said the Bill sought to provide Indian nationality to Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains and Buddhists fleeing persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and said that it had nothing to do with Muslims as Muslims are not a minority in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 10, 2019 12:05 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).