Citizenship Bill gets Lok Sabha nod, Rajya Sabha test next

Congress' Manish Tewari says that India has signed the Article 3 of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees because of which India needs to allow entry of any foreign national who is facing humanitarian crisis, and not discriminate on the basis their religion.

CAB challenges the basic structure the Constitution. He says, secularism is a fundamental part of our Constitution.

CAB does not allow one person to be treated as an equal in the eyes of law, CAB also allows for discrimination on the basis of religion.

Meghalaya is protected by the Sixth Schedule, and we're keeping the Sixth schedule of the ambit of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill: Shri @AmitShah #CitizenshipAmendmentBill2019 pic.twitter.com/2UgDvcMUSy

— BJP (@BJP4India) December 9, 2019

Shah questions that Congress never respected the Assam Accord and hence they should not raise questions when BJP is taking steps to rectify their mistakes. He adds that Motok, Hajong, and other communities can be assured that their linguistic and social identity will not be affected.

Amity Shah says that there is a lot of misinformation being spread about the CAB.

Amit Shah says that there is no region in the country where after partition in 1947 refugees did not settle.

Home Minister Amit Shah on the CAB Bill in LS: There is no political agenda behind this bill. No question of injustice with anyone.

Union home minister Amit Shah introduced Citizenship (Amendment) Bill after a debate and voting in Lok Sabha.

The voting was taken up due to the persistent protests against the bill by the Opposition parties. The Speaker called for division (of voting) to introduce the bill. Amit Shah introduced the Bill. From a total 375 votes (members present and voting), there were 293 in favour of introduction and 82 against it.

Lok Sabha: 293 'Ayes' in favour of introduction of #CitizenshipAmendmentBill and 82 'Noes' against the Bill's introduction, in Lok Sabha pic.twitter.com/z1SbYJbvcz

— ANI (@ANI) 9 December 2019

Amit Shah says, "In Afghanistan,Pakistan and Bangladesh, Hindus, Sikhs,Buddhists,Christians, Parsis and Jains have been discriminated against. So this bill will give these persecuted people citizenship. Also, the allegation that this bill will take away rights of Muslims is wrong."

He adds, "if from these three countries, any Muslim petitions for citizenship, we will consider with an open mind but they will not get the benefit of this bill as the (Muslims) wouldn't have faced religious persecution."

Amit Shah says, "Why do we need this Bill today? After independence, if Congress had not done partition on the basis on religion, then, today we would have not needed this Bill. Congress did partition on the basis of religion."

On the protests by the Opposition, Amit Shah says, "We have been elected for five years, you have to listen to us."

I want to reassure the House and the country that this bill does not violate any article of the Constitution, says Amit Shah.

Asaduddin Owaisi of AIMIM also opposing the bill. Appeals to the Speaker to 'save the country from such a bill'.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor: "Opposing this bill as it is an assault on the democratic values of our Constitution, this is violation of the fundamental structure of the Constitution of India".