The Lok Sabha on Monday voted in favour of introducing the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) bill amidst protests from large sections of people from across the country, as well as various Opposition political parties. The bill was introduced with 293 Ayes and 82 Nos. There was a 90-minute debate on it in the Parliament.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the bill was “not even 0.001 per cent” against the minorities of the country. He said he was ready to respond to all queries but the Opposition “must not walk out” then.
The bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to those non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who had escaped fearing religious persecution there.
Shah further added that the Congress had divided India along religious lines refuting that the bill wasn’t against the principles of secularism and equality. “The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill wouldn’t have been needed if the Congress had not allowed Partition on the basis of religion. It was the Congress that divided the country along religious lines, not us,” Shah said, amidst Congress members shouting that the proposed law was against Muslims and opposed its tabling in the Lok Sabha.
Protests have been on for months in the Northeast with large number of people opposing the bill, saying that it will nullify the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985 that fixed March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date for deportation of illegal immigrants irrespective of their religion.
The BJP had issued a whip to its lawmakers to be present in Parliament from Monday to Wednesday.
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