The contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill has been passed in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, two days after it got the nod from the Lok Sabha.
125 members voted in favour of the Bill and 105 voted against it. After supporting the bill in the Lok Sabha, the Shiv Sena walked out of the Rajya Sabha before the vote.
Earlier in the day, Home Minister Amit Shah had tabled the bill in the House.
The Bill seeks to give citizenship to refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Zorastrian communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
After heated discussions spanning seven hours, the Bill was passed with a majority of 311 votes against 80 in the Lower House where 391 members were present and voted.
What does Assam feel about NRC? Assam is burning. If you are going good for the nation then why are people of Assam insecure? The country is ashamed of how the people are treated in the detention camps. Am all-party delegation should visit the camps. Are the detention centers going to become concentration camps?, asks Anand Sharma.
Tamil Nadu: Congress workers hold protest against #CitizenshipAmmendmentBill2019, in Chennai. pic.twitter.com/2v8VLSBgXl
— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2019
Sharma continues, "The Home Minister had falsely claimed that Congress partitioned India on religious grounds. It was Hindu Mahasabha under Savarkar who proposed two-nation theory, and then Muslim League picked it up".
Congress' Anand Sharma opens the debate on the controversial Bill. Says, the bill that was proposed in 2016 and the one tabled now have huge differences. He adds that the Bill is against the preamble of the Constitution.
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu allotted six hours for the discussion on the Bill.
Shah concludes his speech, says non-Muslim minorities from three nations who came to India after Independence will be given Indian citizenship. Those who arrived before Dec 31, 2014 will not face legal action, any on going case against them to be scrapped. Provisions of bill will not be applicable to tribal areas of northeast.
Home Minister Amit Shah has tabled the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 in the Rajya Sabha.
Those who oppose the bill say that it discriminates on the basis of religion and is, therefore, against the secular ethos of the Indian Constitution.
Some Constitutional experts cautioned that the bill violates Article 14 of the Constitution that guarantees equality to all before the law.
The north-eastern states are against the Bill as they believe it will lead to a greater influx of illegal migrants.
Seeing the opposition to the Bill in the region, the BJP-led government has decided to exempt parts of the region which are under the sixth schedule of the Constitution – which deals with autonomous tribal-dominated regions in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
The bill will also not apply to states that have the inner-line permit regime (Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram).
Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena MP on #CitizenshipAmendmentBill in Rajya Sabha: We have to clear our doubts on this bill, if we don't get satisfactory answers then our stand could be different from what we took in Lok Sabha pic.twitter.com/OOfdwyR2xH
— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2019
A day after total shutdown in Assam to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, fresh protests erupted in the state on Wednesday when the legislation would be debated in the Rajya Sabha. To tackle the situation, the police had to fire rubber bullets and resort to lathi charge on the protestors in Dibrugarh district, police said.
A journalist was injured in stone pelting by a mob and the police lobbed tear gas shells to disperse them near a polytechnic institute in Dibrugarh town, police said.
Though no organisation has called for a bandh on Wednesday, people have come out in large numbers in Jorhat, Golaghat, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sivasagar, Bongaigaon, Nagaon, Sonitpur and several other districts since morning.
Assam: Heavy security put in place as protests against #CitizenshipAmmendmentBill2019 continue in Dibrugarh. pic.twitter.com/rvG2X45sSS
— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2019
While reacting on whether the BJP has support of Shiv Sena and JD(U), Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said: "Government will get the bill passed with comfortable majority." Sources had earlier said that the Shiv Sena will walk out of the Rajya Sabha.
The Citizenship Amendment Bill clearly violates Article 14 of the Indian Constitution as it guarantees equality not only to its citizens but also for the non-citizens. Then there are two facets of Article 14: one is it prohibits positive discrimination on the ground of religion and the second is that it provides equal protection to all before the law.
If this Bill, which proposes to provide protection to certain people who are mentioned in the Bill on the ground of religious persecution, then it has to also grant protection to those who have been left out. There is completely irrational discrimination. (Read More)
Religious minority communities in Pakistan bore the brunt of Partition. India embraced Muslims whole-heartedly even while Partition of the country was done on the grounds of religion while Pakistan adopted Islam as its state religion. While India protected the rights of the minority communities, Pakistan patronised their persecution, reflecting in the near wipeout of the population of Hindu, Sikh, Parsi, Jain, Buddhist and Christians.
Article 14 of the Constitution of India guarantees equality to all citizens. India, since Independence, has demonstrated that the citizens enjoyed unhindered the right to equality in all walks of life. The Constitution at the same time empowers the executive to frame policies for affirmative action for sections of the citizens who have faced discrimination over a long period of time leading to their socially disadvantaged status. (Read More)
According to sources, PM Modi told BJP MPs in the Parliamentary meet, "Opposition speaking language of Pakistan on Citizenship Bill."
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi after BJP parliamentary party meeting: The #CitizenshipAmendmentBill will be tabled in Rajya Sabha at 12 pm today, and it will be passed in the house with comfortable majority (file pic) pic.twitter.com/ckHwZoXpAP
— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2019
Rahul Gandhi again slams Citizenship Bill saying, "The CAB is a attempt by Modi-Shah Govt to ethnically cleanse the North East. It is a criminal attack on the North East, their way of life and the idea of India. I stand in solidarity with the people of the North East and am at their service."
Citizenship Bill will be written in golden letters, will give permanent relief to people who fled religious persecution, says PM Modi at BJP meet.
Congress' Kapil Sibal, Derek O'Brien of Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Ramgopal Yadav of Samajwadi Party (SP) are among the opposition leaders who will speak during the debate on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019.
No question hour on Wednesday in Rajya Sabha, Citizenship Amendment Bill debate to begin at 12 noon, according to reports.
Statement by Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi on the unconstitutional Citizenship Amendment Bill. #CABseBharatBachao pic.twitter.com/RS4OxrYsgg
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 11, 2019
Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha MP, on being asked if they have boycotted the voting said,"yes, Shiv Sena has boycotted the voting".
Rajya Sabha rejects motion to send Citizenship Amendment Bill to Select Committee of House; 113 votes against the motion, 92 in support
Hitting out Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut, Home Minister said, "I am amazed at things people do to get in power". He adds, "Sena supported the Bill in Lok Sabha then what changed over night?"
The entire country knows that the reason behind partition was Jinnah and it was done due to his demand. But all I am asking is why did Congress agree to it? Why was it done on the basis of religion? It was asked that why were Rohingyas not included in the Bill? Rohingyas don't come to India directly, they go to Bangladesh and then infiltrate into India from there.
"The Citizenship Bill was necessitated due to the partition of India. This bill was brought 50 years ago, then the situation had not been so severe today. Narendra Modi government is not just here to govern but to solve the issues of the country," says Amit Shah
Assam: Bus torched by protesters, near Janta Bhawan in Dispur, against #CitizenshipAmendmentBill2019 pic.twitter.com/yUAkYPjWtk
— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2019
Ghulam Nabi Azad opens his speech, says is this problem not being faced by Hindus in Sri Lanka, or with Christians of Bhutan? Aren't Indian origin Muslims in Myanmar facing this problem? Why all these not included?
He adds, Assam and northeast states are burning. How can you say the country is happy?
He later quotes Faiz Ahmed Faiz's "Hum Dekhenge'.
"It's stupid to attempt to make India a country for one sect. Young India will reject such plans soon. It's not primitive India for your old plans. We have a duty to amend the Constitution if there was any error, but to attempt to amend a flawless Constitution is a betrayal. Centre's law and plan is akin to a crime of attempting surgery on a healthy person," said Kamal Haasan.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal was left stranded at the Guwahati airport amid massive protests in the state over the Citizenship Bill.
Prasanna Acharya, BJD on #CitizenshipAmmendmentBill2019: Our stand is the same as was in Lok Sabha. We are supporting the bill but we want certain amendments in the bill like including Sri Lanka in it. pic.twitter.com/KXYK6zJJAE
— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2019
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy says that the Opposition is confused between CAB and NRC. "Minorities in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh have been oppressed. As far as Ahmadis or Shias are concerned, they would prefer going to Iran. Sri Lankan Tamils didn't come to India due to religious persecution. They came here due to a full-fledged war in the country," he added.
Three Army columns requisitioned by civil Administration so far in Tripura and Assam. Two columns in Tripura are deployed and the third one in Assam is on standby. (ANI)
He says,"Assam is burning. Entire Northeast is burning. You (BJP) have already finished Assam and now you want to finish the entire country. In the name of Citizenship Bill, people will be forced to run from pillar to post, they wont get citizenship".
Ritabrata Banerjee, Independent member raises to oppose the Citizenship Bill. "The idea of Tagore is under threat today. We must not partition our soul," he said.
"If this obnoxious, abominable, undemocratic, unreasonable, unpardonable, unjustifiable, unconstitutional Bill is passed today in this Council of State, it will become a black chapter in the annals of this Upper House. The Bill should be thrown in the Bay of Bengal," says Vaiko.
As Lok Sabha passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill and Union Home Minister Amit Shah made it clear that Rohingyas would not be granted citizenship, the future of around 6,000 Rohingyas in Hyderabad is uncertain. The Rohingyas, an ethnic minority group from Myanmar, are concentrated mostly in the Balapur camp. Some others are scattered across Chandrayangutta, Salala and Barkas areas. They mostly do odd jobs, and live in unhygienic conditions. Many women are being helped out by local NGOs.
PDP's Mir Mohammad Fayaz of PDP says Kashmir chose secular India over Pakistan. However, that faith is being shaken. He adds that only Muslims are being targeted in India.
Sachin Pilot, Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan on #CitizenshipAmendmentBill2019: For the first time in independent India, issue of deciding citizenship on basis of religion has come up. I don't think the bill will pass the judicial scrutiny. This is majority versus morality. https://t.co/qEHRHDA17b pic.twitter.com/cSe5I5cg5p
— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2019
The inner line permit (ILP) regime was extended to Manipur on Wednesday with President Ram Nath Kovind signing the order in this effect.
The decision comes two days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced in Lok Sabha that the ILP would be extended to the northeastern state.
Satish Chandra Mishra of BSP says the party is opposing the Citizenship Bill. He says Muslims being excluded is the sole problem of this Bill.
Amidst the chants of 'shame, shame' Sanjay Raut begins his speech. We supported the govt when article 370 was revoked. But today, several parts of country have erupted in protest. We don't have to prove our Hindusim. We are the headmaster of the school you study in and the headmaster of our school is Balasaheb Thackeray.
This will not stop here but will go to the Supreme Court. This is a slap on the Parliament. Parliamentarians are made to do something unconstitutional. The govt is rushing the Bill to push their Hindutva agenda. Thank god they are not amending the Constitution. Somebody has to take responsibility to answer the questions?
He rakes questions:
1.How do you group three countries?
2. How do you group six religions and exclude others?
3. Why have you excluded Sri Lankan Hindus and Bhutanese Christians?
4. Why only religious persecution? Are people not persecuted based on ideology?
5. Does or doesn't the Bill violate the three clauses of article 14.
Birendra Prasad Baishya begins his speech in Assamese. Says the citizens of Assam are scared.Assamese language and culture are facing a threat.
"If Afghanistan has been selected then why other neighbouring countries have not been included? Why minorities from Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka have been excluded from the Bill? They too have a state religion. Why were these countries cherry picked that too based on a religion. A sense of apprehension has come up within millions of Muslims in India," Siva says..
K Keshav Rao of Telangana Rashtra Samithi says, this bill challenges the very idea of India and negates every ideal of justice. This bill should be withdrawn.
Javed Ali Khan,Samajwadi Party in Rajya Sabha: Our Govt through this #CitizenshipAmendmentBill and #NRC is trying to fulfill the dream of Jinnah. Remember, in 1949 Sardar Patel had said 'we are laying the foundation of a truly secular democracy in India' pic.twitter.com/BGl3cP139E
— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2019
Brien draws parallels with Nazi Germany, says elements of Citizenship Bill drawn from Nazi copybook.
The police resorted to lathicharge and fired teargas shells as thousands of students from various colleges of Guwahati were taking out a procession to the State Secretariat in Dispur area.
Trinamool's Derek O Brien begins his speech in Bengali. Says, the Bill is anti-India, anti-Bengali. BJP should not try to portray itself as pro-Bengali. Don't try to teach patriotism or citizenship to Bengalis. The nation is moving towards dictatorship.
Nadda concludes his speech, says the Bill does not tamper with Article 14 of the Constitution or the right to equality. This Bill is not in interest of any party, it is in the interest of the nation.
Jagat Prakash Nadda opens his speech, says minorities in India were protected after partition, but the same did not happen in Pakistan.
The Upper House is going to skip the lunch break to continue uninterrupted discussion on Citizenship Bill.
