New Delhi: Amid an ongoing debate over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019, that has stirred an array of protests across the northeastern states, the central government on Monday is likely to table the contentious bill in Lok Sabha for consideration and passing.
The Bill that seeks to give members from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan Indian citizenship if they faced persecution in their own country, has been receiving a lot of slack from across the nation.
These members, regardless of their religion, will not be treated as illegal immigrants if and when the proposed amendment to the six-decade-old Citizenship Act comes into effect.
Notably, the North East Students’ Union (NESU) who have been adamantly opposing the Bill have called an 11-hour bandh across northeastern states to protest the Centre’s move.
The Union Cabinet has already cleared the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, at a meeting on Wednesday. The Bill was tabled in the cabinet after Home Minister Amit Shah, last month, held talks with leaders of political parties, students bodies and civil society groups from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya over the highly debated Bill.
The bill seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955, which will grant Indian nationality to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, who come to India due to religious persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Once approved, the bill will permit such immigrants even if they don’t possess proper documents.
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