Discussion on Citizenship Amendment Bill underway in Lok Sabha

New Delhi, December 09:

Discussion on the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 is underway in the Lok Sabha.

Introducing the bill, Home Minister Amit Shah said it has a long term vision to provide relief to crores of people. Shah said the refugees from Minority communities of neighbouring countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan would be given citizenship under the bill.

Initiating the discussion, Manish Tiwari of Congress said the Bill is against the spirit and the basic structure of the Constitution.

Rajendra Agarwal of BJP accused the Congress of opposing the Bill with a selective interpretation of secularism, keeping vote bank politics in mind.

Dayanidhi Maran of the DMK questioned as to why Sri Lankan Tamil refugees are excluded in the Bill.

Abhishek Banerjee of AITC termed the Bill as another trap after the NRC.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of the Congress said the Bill has chosen refugees of only three Muslim-majority neighbouring countries.

Meenakshi Lekhi of BJP said the Bill aims is to protect minorities from the medieval religious laws followed in the neighbouring countries.

Asaduddin Owaisi of AIMIM questioned as to why Muslims of the PoK and Tibet are exempted from the bill. He expressed his fear that the Bill would lead to another partition of the country on religion lines.

Gaurav Gogoi of Congress alleged that the Bill poses a threat to the identity and rights of tribals of North Eastern States.

Meanwhile, a bandh call given by some organisations in Assam and Tripura against the bill today evoked a mixed response.