As Assam Burns, Citizenship (Amendment) Bill to Be Tabled In Rajya Sabha Today

As Assam Burns, Citizenship (Amendment) Bill to Be Tabled In Rajya Sabha Today

The much-debated Citizenship (Amendment) Bill will be tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday afternoon amid uproar in the Northeast region. The controversial Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on late Monday night. The Bill will be open for debate in the Upper House from around 2pm and six hours have been allocated to debate the controversial legislation.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslims from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, who came to India before December 31, 2014 escaping religious persecution.

The Bill, which has triggered massive outrage in the Northeast India, has to be passed by both the Houses of the Parliament to become a law.

While it was earlier said it will be a herculean task for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government to get the Bill pass through the Upper House. But the party has of late asserted that it is confident of its passage in the Upper House as well.

However, the BJP will have to rely on its NDA allies and backing from non-allied parties such as the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and two Independents to see the Bill through in the Upper House.

While the Lower House voted in favour of the Bill owing to an overwhelming majority. The controversial Bill got 311 votes in favour and 80 against in the lower house. With a present strength of 240, the majority mark in the Rajya Sabha is 121 which imply that the government would require 121 votes in favour of the Bill to make the Bill a law. The NDA has 116 members and is banking on the support of 14 others, taking its numbers to 130.

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