Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 To Be Introduced In Rajya Sabha On Wednesday Afternoon

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to table the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday at 2 PM on Wednesday, according to ANI. The bill aims to amend the six-decade-old Citizenship Act. The Bill, which seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan if they faced religious persecution there, was passed in the Lok Sabha with 311-80 votes on Monday night, after more than seven hours of debate and discussions.

Unlike the 2016 scenario, the ruling government is confident of smooth passage of the Bill in the Upper House. According to official sources, the effective strength of the Rajya Sabha is 238. This makes 120 the majority mark. The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 is expected to have the support of 127 members in the House.

In Rajya Sabha, the Citizenship Amendment Bill is expected to have the support of 127 members in the House. The bill is supported by 83 members of the BJP, six MPs of Janata Dal (United), three of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), one each from LJP, RPI(A), PMK, AGP, BPF and NPF. Four independents and three nominated MPs will also support the legislation. There are other parties that are likely support the Bill. These include the All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which has 11 MPs. Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress have seven and two MPs, respectively. N Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supported the Bill in Lok Sabha and is expected to vote on similar lines in the Upper House as well. With support of these members, the BJP-led NDA will have the support of 127 members in the House.

On the other hand, the Indian National Congress (46 MPs), Trinamool Congress (13), Nationalist Congress Party (four), among others, will be opposing the Bill. Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), with four and five MPs in Rajya Sabha, respectively, are also expected to oppose the Bill. Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), with nine and three MPs respectively, are also expected to vote against the Bill.

The stands of Shiv Sena, Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) and JD (S) on the bill are not clear.