HOURS BEFORE CITIZENSHIP AMENDMENT BILL TO AMIT SHAH'S EXPLANATION

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill or CAB was cleared by the Union Cabinet on 4 December 2019, passed by Lok Sabha on 10 December 2019 (with 311 votes against 80) and Rajya Sabha on 11 December 2019. The bill provides privileges to acquire Indian Citizenship for non-Muslims of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The bill will be sent to President of India for his approval which was voted in favour by 125 lawmakers against 105. On 11 December 2019, the CAB was passed after 6 hours of debate allocated by Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu. Other parties to support the bill are D(U), SAD, AIADMK, BJD, TDP and YSR-Congress. Shiv Sena did not take part in the voting.

Opposition and Amit Shah's Retaliation

While a lot of opposition voices raised against the passage of CAB, Amit Shah quoted the Nehru-Liaquat Pact of 1950. Shah mentioned Muhammad Ali Jinnah's terms of partition on religious lines and asked “I want to ask, why did Congress accept Jinnah’s terms of Partition?”. Further, he ensured that the Bill did not harm any Indian Muslims. 

“It is about granting citizenship to religious minorities from neighbouring countries…I don’t want any Muslim to be scared…This Bill does not harm Indian Muslims at all; what could their problem be (with the Bill) in giving citizenship to refugees from these countries, the persecuted minorities? …Indian Muslims are citizens of the country and will remain so…Muslims have no need to fear or worry,” Amit Shah said in his speech.