Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday tabled the Citizenship (Amendment) bill, 2019 in Lok Sabha, amid objection from the opposition.
Amit Shah said, “In Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh – Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Christians, Buddhists and Parsis were discriminated. Hence, this bill will give these people citizenship. Also, the allegation that this bill will take away the rights of Muslim people is wrong.”
“This bill is not even .001 per cent against minorities,” Shah said.
No Article of the Constitution has been violated in the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019, Shah added.
The Bill that seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan was cleared in a cabinet meeting on December 4.
Shah said that the Congress divided the country on the basis of religion that is why it was necessary to bring the bill.
Several opposition leaders including Shashi Tharoor, Assaduddin Owaisi among others opposed the introduction of the bill.
