New Delhi:
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday introduced the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha. The development comes after the Union Cabinet approved the draft law that seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan if they faced religious persecution there. Slammed by the Opposition as divisive and communal, the bill is a key part of the BJP’s ideological project as it proposes citizenship to non-Muslim, mostly Hindus, refugees living in India and will protect them from the nation-wide NRC drive the central government is planning to identify illegal immigrants. Here are LIVE UPDATES from Parliament as Modi Govt introduces the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha:
Citizenship Amendment Bill passed in the Lok Sabha with 311 votes in favour and 80 votes against it.
Home Minister Amit Shah in Lok Sabha on CAB: Whole of Arunachal Pradesh & Mizoram are protected by the Inner Line Permit (ILP), they have nothing to worry about. All of Nagaland, except a small part of Dimapur is also protected by Inner Line Permit, they too have nothing to worry
Congress is such a secular party that it has Muslim League as a partner in Kerala and Shiv Sena as its partner in Maharashtra.
We will not touch Article 371, assures Amit Shah in Lok Sabha.
India will never accept Rohingyas, says Home Minister Amit Shah
Union Home Minister in Lok Sabha: In 1991, Hindu population was 84% & in 2011, it was 79%. In 1991, Muslim population was 9.8% & today it's 14.23%. We have done no discrimination on basis of religion & in future as well, there will be no discrimination based on religion.
"If partition had not happened on the basis of religion, I would not have come here with the bill": Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Lok Sabha
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Citizenship Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha: Under no dimension, this bill is unconstitutional, or is against Article 14.
Citizenship Amendment Bill is not unconstitutional, says Home Minister Amit Shah.
I request all members to listen to me carefully: Amit Shah
Aam Aadmi party opposes the Citizenship Amendment Bill. AAP MP Bhagwant Mann said that India has not granted citizenship to anyone on the basis of religion.
Amid protests in northeatern states, Meghalaya's NPF supports the controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill.
Shiromani Akali Dal backs government's Citizenship Amendment Bill.
This Bill is worse than the laws of Hitler! What crime have we Muslims done to you? There is going to be another partition: Asaduddin Owaisi
AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi tears copy of Citizenship Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha.
AIMIM opposes Citizenship Amendment Bill, says party president Asaduddin Owaisi.
‘We are against the fact that the criterion of the Bill is along the religious lines,’ says Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
Is this being done to turn India into Hindu state? Asks Congress
Samajwadi Party opposes Citizenship Amendment Bill.
TRS opposes Modi government's Citizenship Amendment Bill.
Nationalist Congress Party opposes CAB, announces Supriya Sule.
Our leader had already registered her protest against the bill, says BSP's Afzal Ansari.
Bahujan Samaj Party opposes Citizenship Amendment Bill.
Rajiv Ranjan Singh, JDU in Lok Sabha: We support this bill. This bill should not been seen in light of Indian citizens,both majority and minority. If persecuted minorities of Pakistan are given Indian citizenship then I think this is the right thing.
Naveen Patnaik's BJD supports Modi Government's Citizenship Amendment Bill.
JDU supports Modi government's Citizenship Amendment Bill, announces Rajiv Ranjan Singh.
Government needs to have clear policy on rehabilitation, says Shiv Sena’s Vinayak Raut
Balasaheb Thackeray always wanted the illegal migrants to be driven away from the country, says Shiv Sena's Vinayak Raut.
Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSRCP backs Modi government's Citizenship Amendment Bill.
Abhishek Banerjee,TMC in Lok Sabha: Swami Vivekananda would be shell shocked if was here seeing this bill as it is against his idea of India. BJP's idea of India is divisive. It will be disastrous if we ignore words of Mahatma Gandhi and not heed advice of Sardar Patel.
'The Bill is discriminatory, and this law is against our culture & tradition', says Manish Tewari.
India need a bill which is above religiion, says Manish Tiwari.
This is against article 14, article 15, article 21, article 25 and 26 of the Indian constitution. This bill is unconstitutional and against basic right of equality, says Congress leader Manish Tewari.
Bill needs to be re-examined, Congress leader Manish Tiwari.
Bill violates international conventions: Manish Tiwari.
Bill violates the basic structure of constitution, says Congress leader Manish Tiwari.
We are against this bill, because it is unconstitutional: Congress leader Manish Tiwari.
In this Bill, we're protecting the social and linguistic uniqueness of the North East people. Nobody needs to fear it: Amit Shah.
We are including Manipur in Inner Line Permit system,this big issue has now been resolved. I thank PM Modi on behalf of people of Manipur for fulfilling this long standing demand, says Home Minister Amit Shah.
Manipur to get Inner Line Permit protection, announces Amit Shah.
After the 1971 war and formation of Bangladesh, refugees were given Citizenship and no one, including our party, protested against it: Amit Shah.
India accepted refugees in 1947 & 1971. But, no one opposed absorption of refugees then’, says Amit Shah.
"There is unity in diversity. That is the country's mantra. India has never crossed boundaries," said Amit Shah.
The bill is about rights, not against any religion, says Home Minister Amit Shah.
I believe every political party must fight elections on its manifesto, which is built by the opinion of the people of the country, and not on some leader or family. This is what has happened here. This Bill was in BJP's manifesto for 2014 & 2019 elections: Amit Shah.
I want to assure this House that this Bill will only bring justice to the people who have been waiting for it for 70 years. It is not targeting anyone and will do no injustice: Amit Shah.
We are committed to protect indigenous customs and cultures of Northeast, says Amit Shah in Lok Sabha.
Dr. Manmohan Singh, L.K Advani were also refugees: Amit Shah.
Protecting borders is our prime responsibility, says Amit Shah.
Tolerance is India's democratic fabric, says Amit Shah.
Amit Shah urges opposition leaders to listen to his agruments calmly.
There is no political agenda behind this bill. No question of injustice with anyone: Amit Shah.
We are committed to the 'Citizenship Amendment Bill', says Amit Shah.
There will be no injustice to anyone, says Home Minister Amit Shah.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah reintroduces Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha after division of votes.
The Lok Sabha votes in favour of tabling of the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla agrees to division of votes on introduction of the contentious Bill.
‘It isn't our fault, it's theirs. They'll have to listen to it now because it's our history,’ says Amit Shah
Remember history, it was Congress that divided India on basis of religion, says Amit Shah
“Even after 1971, minorities have been continuously persecuted in Bangladesh. The genocide hasn't stopped. Congress gave refugees from Uganda citizenship but not from England. Why? There was a reasonable classification behind it,” the Union Home Minister says.
“A lot of laws have been made associated with Article 14 with reasonable classification in the past. Three countries, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, are closely related to India's ground realities. This country shares a border of 106 km with Afghanistan,” says Amit Shah.
Not against equality laws, not violating the Constitution, says Amit Shah.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla reacted sharply on Owaisi’s remark. ‘Please don't use such unparliamentary language in the house, this remark will be expunged from records.’
The Aam Aadmi Party will oppose the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 in Parliament.
Save the country else Home Minister’s name will be mentioned along with Hitler, says Asaduddin Owaisi.
The Bill betrays the Preamble of Constitution, says Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
Gaurav Gogoi from the Congress raised concern over the Bill’s impact on the North-East.
Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy attacked the Bill and said that, ‘the Constitution is in danger: .
Bill violates the basic structural features of the constitution envisioned in the preamble as entitlement of citizenship based on religion is against the secular fabric of the country, says N. K. Premachandran of the Revolutionary Socialist Party.
Amid uproar in the Lok Sabha, Amit Shah tells Opposition leader - ‘I will answer each and every question. Don’t abandon the House proceedings.’
Amit Shah tables the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha.
Meanwhile, the BJP has demanded an apology from two Congress MPs for their alleged misconduct with Union Minister Smriti Irani in the House on December 6. Hitting out at the ruling government, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the House was not some ‘hawa mahal’ of a ‘king’.
At present, the Lower House of Parliament is discussing the extension of SC, ST quota in Lok Sabha, state assemblies. The reservation for these categories in Lok Sabha and assemblies was to expire on January 25, 2020.
The Bill proposes that all such migrants will be eligible for citizenship if they came to India before December 31, 2014
There are reports that teh Home Minister will introduce the Bill in the Lok Sabha after 12 noon.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has submitted notice in the Lok Sabha to oppose introduction of Citizenship Amendment Bill.
“This Bill is against the Constitution and against Hindu-Muslim unity. We will reject this Bill and Opposition is with us on it. We will not let this Bill pass,” Badruddin Ajmal, Lok Sabha MP from Assam’s Dhubri says.
Assam is witnessing widespread protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill. The shops have been closed in Guwahati following shutdown call by various organisations that are opposing the Bill.
The Bill seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 by seeking to grant citizenship to undocumented and illegal non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.
In case the draft legislation is passed by Parliament, it will be the first time ever that India will tweak its citizenship rules based on religion.
Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board chairman Wasim Rizvi has written to Amit Shah to include Shia community in the CAB.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has arrives in Parliament.
Home Minister @AmitShah arrives at Parliament. #CitizenshipAmendmentBill (CAB) to be introduced in Lok Sabha today.
Track LIVE updates here:https://t.co/ZwdrRNNIpB pic.twitter.com/ihtHIlLcMN
— News Nation (@NewsNationTV) December 9, 2019
