Citizenship Bill Passed by Rajya Sabha amid Protests

New Delhi, December 11, 2019:

The controversial Citizenship Bill that was tabled by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has received 117 votes in its favour, and has finally passed by the Rajya Sabha test.

Although the opposition maintains that the Citizenship Bill is "anti-Muslim" and "unconstitutional, Shah maintains that the Bill shall provide relief to the "persecuted" minorities from Muslim-majority countries.

Assam saw wave after wave of protests on Wednesday, with tens of thousands taking to the streets to express their discontentment.

Shah, during a debate on the the Bill, said, "We aren't granting citizenship to anyone and everyone. There is a special class of people who will be granted citizenship."

Moreover, Shah also chastised the Congress party and said that Shah's comments on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill similar to those made by Pakistan PM Imran Khan yesterday. "Pakistan and Congress are speaking the same language. The statements given by Pakistan are the same as those given by Congress today. Look at statements made yesterday by the Pakistan PM Imran Khan and see what the Congress leaders said today. Why did Congress oppose the Enemy-Property Bill?", said Shah.

The Bill that seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslims from the neighboring countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, has sparked protests across the Northeast region.

Assam, meanwhile, has been plunged into chaos of the magnitude of the six-years long Assam Agitation to drive out illegal ‘Bangladeshi’ settlers. Meanwhile, Indian army personnel have been deployed in Assam and Tripura, and the streets in the Assam capital Dispur have reportedly been cleared of protesters.

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