With all the opposition and protest both inside and outside the Parliament, the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) got a nod ahead from the Loksabha after a marathon 12-hour discussion on the bill extending till mid-night.
Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 passed in Lok Sabha with 311 ‘ayes’ & 80 ‘noes’. https://t.co/InH4W4dr4F pic.twitter.com/Nd4HpkjlEo
— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2019
The bill was passed with 311 votes in favor and 80 against. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimee (AIMIM) leader an MP from Hyderabad Asaduddin Owaisi torn the copy of the bill in the parliament during the discussion. He said that the bill is a preparation for the 2nd partition of the country.
#WATCH AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi tore a copy of #CitizenshipAmendmentBill2019 in Lok Sabha. pic.twitter.com/C6a59Kefq6
— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2019
The bill that aims to grant persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan Indian citizenship would now be tabled in the Rajyasabha.
Also Read: The Citizenship Amendment Bill, Here Is All That You Need To Know
The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) has issued a whip to its Rajyasbaha MPs to be present on 10th and 11th December as the government moves the bill in the Upper House. For CAB to become a law it has to pass the test in Rajyasbha before the President gives it a final assent.
Opposition’s Strategy
The BJP led NDA has 117 seats in the Rajyasabha. This leaves it 6 short of the majority mark of 123 that is required to get the bill cleared through Rajyasabha. The opposition would go for a two-pronged strategy against the bill in Rajyasabha.
Sources: Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 to be tabled in Rajya Sabha tomorrow pic.twitter.com/nSARNY1RpU
— ANI (@ANI) December 10, 2019
The first attempt would obviously be to stop the passage of the bill, but in the likely situation of their numbers falling short of a majority, it will press for its review by a Select Committee.
US Federal Commission Calls For Sanctions Against Shah
The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in a statement issued on Monday said that it was deeply troubled over the passage of the bill in Lok Sabha. USCIRF further said that the CAB enshrines a pathway to citizenship for immigrants that specifically excludes Muslims, setting a legal criterion for citizenship based on religion.
Terming Citizenship (Amendment) Bill “a dangerous turn in the wrong direction”, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has expressed that the body is “deeply troubled” by Bill’s religion criterion.https://t.co/I9odBs3xFz
— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) December 10, 2019
The commission has termed the bill as a “dangerous turn in wrong direction” and sought American sanctions against Home Minister Amit Shah if the bill is passed by both houses of the Indian Parliament.
Also Read: Man Dies Of Cardiac Arrest In An Attempt To Buy Subsidized Onions
Protest Carries On
The protest against the CAB has been brewing with the North-Eastern states announcing an 11 hour shut down in protest. Protestors were seen taking to the streets in Assam and Tripura on Tuesday.
Assam: People stage protest in Jorabat against #CitizenshipAmendmentBill which was passed in Lok Sabha, yesterday. pic.twitter.com/gEZjGkvMBE
— ANI (@ANI) December 10, 2019
Protests have been organized by groups in other parts of the countries against the bill. The social media is also brewing with people speaking in favor and against the bill and twitter seeing CAB trending in the top 10.
