- 125 votes in favor of the bill in Rajya Sabha, while 105 votes were cast in opposition, it was debated for about 8 hours.
- Amit Shah told Congress – do politics, but do not divide the country; This fire burns will burn their own house
- Ghulam Nabi Azad said – On what basis religion was chosen for the bill, Anand Sharma said – Earlier governments did not make religion the basis
- After 14 hours of debate in the Lok Sabha on Monday, the Citizenship Amendment bill has passed, 311 votes in favor and 80 votes in opposition.
The citizenship amendment bill was also passed in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. 125 votes in favor of the bill, while 105 votes in opposition. It was debated in Rajya Sabha for about 8 hours. Replying to the debate, Home Minister Amit Shah said – This bill was brought to rectify the historical mistake. The bill was introduced in the Upper House by Shah in the afternoon. The Lok Sabha has approved this bill on Monday itself. Voting was held at 12.04 pm after 14 hours of debate on the bill in the lower house. The bill had 311 votes in favor and 80 in opposition.
Rajya Sabha has a total of 240 MPs, while 5 seats are vacant. In such a situation, the majority figure is 121 on a total of 245 seats. Out of 245, 125 MPs were already in support of the Bill, while 113 MPs opposed it. 2 MPs had not made their stand clear.
Who supported the bill in Rajya Sabha, who opposed
| In support of the bill | In opposition to the bill | ||
| BJP | 83 | Congress | 46 |
| Anna DMK | 11 | TMC | 13 |
| BJD | 7 | SP | 9 |
| JDU | 6 | Left | 6 |
| Akali Dal | 3 | DMK | 5 |
| Nominated | 4 | TRS | 6 |
| BSP | 4 | ||
| Others | 16 | ||
| Total 125 | Total 105 |
- Shiv Sena-3 did not participate in voting and walked out of the House.
Nobody will lose their citizenship: Amit Shah
Responding to the debate on the citizenship bill, Home Minister Amit Shah said – this bill is not taking away citizenship of anyone. Amit Shah told the Congress, “Please do politics kindly, but by doing so, you should not make a distinction in the country. These are sensitive matters and those that ignite burn their own house. ”
Azad said – what is the basis of selection of religions
Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said – what is the basis of the religions chosen for the bill. Why Hindus of Sri Lanka and Christians of Bhutan were not included. He said that if this bill is liked by all, then why did this situation in Assam arise, why did this situation worsen in Tripura? This is the situation in the entire North East.
Anand Sharma said- Government is in a hurry
Congress leader Anand Sharma said, “You (government) said that it will be historic, but how will history see it?” The government is in a hurry. We oppose it. The reason is constitutional and ethical, not political. The bill is against democracy and the Constitution. “
Bill passed in both houses, what will happen next?
After passing from both houses, the bill will now be sent to the President for approval. The President may, or may not, give his assent to it. They can also return the bill for reconsideration. They cannot refuse to give their consent if the Bill is again passed in both houses, with or without amendments made by the President. It will become law once the bill is approved by the President.
Understand the Citizenship Amendment Bill in Q&A…
1. When did citizenship law come, what is its present form?
Answer: This law came in 1955. Under this, it is mandatory for any person to stay in India for at least 11 years to take Indian citizenship.
2. Can people who enter illegally under this law also get citizenship?
Answer: People entering illegally in India cannot get citizenship. There are provisions to send them back to their country or to be detained.
3. What amendments are the government going to make?
Answer: The amended bill has reduced the time for granting citizenship to minority refugees (Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians) from neighboring countries Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan from 11 years to 6 years. This period will be only 11 years for Muslims and citizens of other countries.
4. Why is the opposition opposing?
Answer: There are 2 big reasons for this. First, this bill is being said to be against the basic spirit of the constitution as people of 6 religions from neighboring countries are being relaxed to give Indian citizenship but Muslims are not included in it. Secondly, the Northeast states oppose that if the citizenship bill is passed in Parliament, giving citizenship to a large number of Hindus from Bangladesh will end the rights of the original inhabitants here. This will put a crisis on the cultural, linguistic and traditional heritage of the states.
5. What are the government’s arguments in favor of this bill?
Answer: The government says that a large number of non-Muslims in neighboring countries have suffered persecution on the basis of religion and due to this fear many minorities have taken refuge in India. Necessary facilities should be given by giving them citizenship.
6. Can non-Muslims living without documents also get citizenship?
Answer: Those who entered India on or before 31 December 2014 without valid travel documents or their documents have expired, will also have the facility to obtain Indian citizenship. There will be a provision to deport the Muslims found without valid documents.