Highlights of Citizenship Amendment Bill passed in Rajya Sabha

125 voted in favour while 105 voted against The bill has amended The Citizenship Act of 1955 Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi & Christian migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh & Pakistan can apply for Indian citizenship Migrants should have entered India on/before Dec 31, 2014 Bill won't apply in tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram & Tripura

Dec 11, 2019 10:00 PM

Dec 11, 2019 9:31 PM

Dec 11, 2019 9:30 PM

Congress Statement on CAB

"Today marks a dark day in the constitutional history of India. The passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill marks the victory of narrow-minded and bigoted forces over India’s pluralism. The Bill fundamentally challenges the idea of India that our forefathers fought for and, in its place, creates a disturbed, distorted and divided India where religion will become a determinant of nationhood.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill is not just an affront to the eternal principles of equality and religious non-discrimination that have been enshrined in our Constitution, but represents a rejection of an India that would be a free nation for all her people, irrespective of religion, region, caste, creed, language or ethnicity. In its design its grave implications, this flawed legislation is antithetical to the spirit of the freedom movement and violative of the soul of our nation."

Dec 11, 2019 9:09 PM

Rajya Sabha passes Citizenship Amendment Bill After 7-Hour Debate

Ayes: 125

Noes: 105

Dec 11, 2019 8:50 PM

Shiv Sena MPs absent

Shiv Sena MPs have decided to abstain from voting in the Rajya Sabha on the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

Shiv Sena voted in favour of the bill in Lok Sabha but opposed it in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, saying the draft law should have been debated on the basis of "humanity not religion".

Dec 11, 2019 8:17 PM

Voting On Sending CAB to select panel in RS

Ayes: 92, Noes: 113, Abstain 01. Total: 206

This means that the Citizenship Amendment Bill will not be sent to a select panel for further discussion in Rajya Sabha

Dec 11, 2019 8:04 PM

Protests Against CAB in Punjab, Haryana

The Punjab Congress on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind urging him against giving his assent to Citizenship (Amendment) Bill while the party's Haryana unit held a demonstration at Panchkula near here to protest against the Bill.

Dec 11, 2019 7:52 PM

Home Minister Questions Shiv Sena's Change Of Stance

Questioning the changed stance of former ally Shiv Sena, Shah says, "Shiv Sena supported the bill yesterday. They should tell the people of Maharashtra as to what happened within the span of a night that they changed their stand today." Following this jibe, Sena leaders Anil Desai and Sanjay Raut have gone out of the House.

Dec 11, 2019 7:24 PM

Shah's Rohingya Exclusion Explanation

Explaining the rationale behind the exclusion of Rohingyas from the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, "It was asked that why were Rohingyas not included in the Bill? Rohingyas don't come to India directly, they go to Bangladesh and then infiltrate into India from there."

Dec 11, 2019 7:23 PM

Citizenship Bill to Benefit 1.5 Cr People: RSS sources

The Citizenship Amendment Bill will benefit more than 1.5 crore people in the country, out of which more than 50 percent are SCs and STs, RSS sources said, asserting that the Sangh will launch a nationwide campaign in favour of the proposed legislation.

Underlining that the bill will have a limited impact in Assam, a senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary said only six lakh people will benefit from this, whereas in West Bengal more than 72 lakh will benefit. Those persecuted Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists who have been staying in the country for a decade will benefit, he said asserting, that they are "natural citizens" of the country.

PTI report

Dec 11, 2019 7:13 PM

No violation of Article 14 of Constitution: Amit Shah replies to CAB debate

Home Minister Amit Shah has replied to the Opposition's criticism that the Citizenship Amendment Bill discriminates against Muslims.

"Present laws have provision for giving citizenship to persecuted Muslims too. 566 Muslims have been given Indian citizenship," Shah has said in Rajya Sabha.

He further explained the government's stance saying, "Muslims are not included for giving citizenship because proposed law is for persecuted minorities in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan. Muslims in these countries are not minorities."

Dec 11, 2019 6:55 PM

Govt has no data on minorities who faced religious persecution: Azad

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad asked on Wednesday why the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill does not include Hindus from Sri Lanka and Christians from Bhutan, as he alleged that the government has no data on persecuted minorities in neighbouring countries.

Intervening in the debate on the Citizenship (Amendment Bill), 2019 in the Upper House, the senior Congress leader also asked that if the entire country was happy with the proposed legislation, why protests were taking place in Assam, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Nagaland.

"Honourable home minister, you brought demonetisation, GST, (legislation on) triple talaq, NRC, Article 370 (related law) and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the same pattern. You bring such bills every four or six months to divert the attention of people from unemployment, problems of farmers, poverty....," Azad said.

The former Union Minister also stressed that Muslims too were persecuted in Afghanistan. Muslim women have been persecuted a lot in Afghanistan, he added.

Claiming that lakhs and crores of minorities in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan have faced religious persecution, Azad took a jibe at Home Minister Amit Shah by saying that the government does not have any authentic data on such people and was befooling the public.

Dec 11, 2019 6:53 PM

Curfew Imposed in Guwahati

A curfew has been imposed in Guwahati starting from 6.15 pm today to 7 am tomorrow.

Section 144 of the CrPC, which prohibits the assembly of four or more people in an area, has been imposed in Kamrup, Assam.

Dec 11, 2019 6:12 PM

Trains Cancelled Amid Protests

At least 12 trains have been cancelled and 10 trains partially cancelled, on December 12 and 13, due to indefinite 'Rail Roko' by various organisations and associations, in Tinsukia division and Lumding division in Assam.

Dec 11, 2019 6:10 PM

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