The Lok Sabha on Monday passed the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 after a six-hour long debate following a fiery defensive speech by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The Bill seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 to give citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim minorities from three neighbouring countries - Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, creating for the first time a legal pathway to grant Indian nationality on the basis of religion.
Oppositions politicians and protesters in several Indian cities said the bill discriminated against Muslims and violated India's secular constitution. Several legal scholars have also voiced concern and opined that it may not pass the test of constitutionality.
But Shah and Prime Minister Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which had included the CAB as part of its manifesto in the last general election, insist that it is necessary. During the passage of the Bill in the Lok Sabha, among a total of 391 members present in the Lower House, 311 voted in favour while 80 voted against it. The bill will be taken up in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Here's a quick News18 quiz on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 for readers to take part in:
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