Lok Sabha Votes In Favour Of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill Amid Massive Protests in Assam

Amid massive outrage, the contentious Citizenship Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha and it garnered 293 votes in favour and 82 votes in against.

Union Minister Amit Shah introduced the much-debated Bill in Lower House on Monday morning. The Bill was in the lower house’s ‘List of Business’ for today. Ruling party issued a whip to all its Lok Sabha members to remain present in the House for getting the bill passed in the house.

The Bill that seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan escaping religious persecution there has triggered widespread protests in Assam. The introduction of the bill was vehemently objected to by the opposition.

Various groups and organizations of Assam along with the Northeast region had been protesting against the Bill, saying it will jeopardize the identity of its indigenous people and also nullify the essence of the historic 1985 Assam Accord.

The Citizenship Bill amends the Citizenship Act 1955 and it seeks to provide Indian nationality to Non-Muslims from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan fleeing religious persecution.

It may be mentioned here that the new draft of the Bill exempts the inner line permit areas in Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh and areas falling under the Sixth Schedule in the region from the Bill.

Many legislators advocate that the Bill allowing 'illegal migrants' to apply for citizenship based on religion is 'Unconstitutional' and 'Unsecular' and it violates Article 14 which guarantees the right to equality.

The controversial Bill was first introduced in the Lok Sabha in July 2016 and was finally passed by the Lok Sabha in January 2019. However, it was stalled in the Rajya Sabha following massive opposition.

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