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Lok Sabha passes Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is not in violation of constitutional provisions, Home Minister Amit Shah asserted on Monday night as he responded to a debate on the contentious legislation in the Lok Sabha.

It will give relief to people living a painful life after facing persecution in neighbouring countries, he said.

Opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in Lok Sabha, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the Bill is being brought to enable a new partition of the country on the line of religion. Owaisi also tore apart a copy of the Bill, which was condemned by the Speaker and was removed from the records of the House.

Shah tabled the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB), 2019 that seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan escaping religious persecution there. Trying to allay apprehensions of the people of Northeastern region, Shah said the Narendra Modi government was committed to protect the customs and culture of the people of the region and informed that Manipur will be brought under Inner Line Permit regime.

On Shah's comment criticising Congress for the partition of the country based on religion, Congress MP Manish Tewari said it was not Congress, but V D Savarkar who first introduced religion-based partition of the country in 1935. "During the debate on Citizenship bill today, some members of the ruling party were saying that the Congress party was responsible for the partition of the country on the basis of religion. I want to remind them that the idea of partition on the religious basis was first floated in 1935 by Hindu Mahasabha… by Savarkar," he said.

(Inputs from The Indian Express)

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