India Parliament Lower House passes Citizenship Amendment Bill |
Lok Sabha has passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 after a marathon discussion and division last night. In all, 311 members voted in favour of the bill and 80 members opposed it. The bill, among other things, seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians who migrated to India till the end of 2014 from countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, due to reasons like persecutions. However, the bill exempts certain tribal areas included in the Sixth Schedule and those falling under the Inner Line Permit Regime in the North Eastern States. It amends the Citizenship Act 1955, the Passport Act 1920 and the Foreigners Act 1946 for implementation of its provisions. The Bill earlier faced stiff resistance from the Opposition also when Home Minister Amit Shah sought to move the bill in the House. After a brief discussion on the grounds of opposition to moving it and a reply by the Home Minister, it was introduced after division with 293 members voting in favour of it and 82 opposing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed delight over the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha and said, the proposed law is in line with India`s centuries old ethos of assimilation and belief in humanitarian values. He thanked the MPs and different parties that supported the bill. PM Modi said, he would like to specially applaud Home Minister Amit Shah for lucidly explaining all aspects of the measure.
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