Rajya Sabha passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday. (File)
CAB Debate 2019 HIGHLIGHTS: After a day-long debate, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday with 125 members voting in favour of the motion and 105 against it. Union Home Minister Amit Shah tabled the contentious Bill in the Upper House, which was cleared by the Lok Sabha with a 311-80 margin at 12.02 am Tuesday. He also sought to quell the Opposition’s allegations which called the Bill anti-Muslim, saying that the Bill will have no implications on Indian Muslims.
Calling it a dark day in the Constitutional history of India, Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi said, “The passage of the CAB marks the victory of narrow-minded and bigoted forces over India’s pluralism. The Bill fundamentally challenges the idea of India.”
Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal, in reply to Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement that no Muslim needs to worry over Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019, said that no Indian Muslim is scared of the current regime. “You made a very objectionable statement earlier. Which Muslim fears you? No Indian Muslim fears from you. Neither I nor any other citizen of the country is scared of you. We fear only from the Constitution of the country,” he said.
Speaking for the first time in the Parliament after coming out of Tihar Jail, Congress leader P Chidambaram Wednesday slammed the government in Rajya Sabha for pushing the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 (CAB) in order to further its ‘Hindutva’ agenda. He also said the Parliamentarians, who are the elected representatives of the job, are burdening the other three pillars of the Constitution by going ahead with this Bill.
As the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 passes in the Parliament, the dreams of crores of deprived and victimised people has come true today. Grateful to PM Narendra Modi ji for his resolve to ensure dignity and safety for these affected people. I thank everyone for their support.
PM Modi: A landmark day for India and our nation’s ethos of compassion and brotherhood! Glad that the #CAB2019 has been passed in the #RajyaSabha. Gratitude to all the MPs who voted in favour of the Bill. This Bill will alleviate the suffering of many who faced persecution for years.
P Chidambaram, Congress: Shiv Sena not voting for the Bill after voting for it in Lok Sabha, is a welcome development. (ANI)
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on CAB: Today marks a dark day in the Constitutional history of India. The passage of the CAB marks the victory of narrow minded and bigoted forces over India's pluralism. The Bill fundamentally challenges the idea of India.
Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 was passed in Rajya Sabha by 125 ayes to 105 noes.
Shiv Sena MPs are not present in the Rajya Sabha. Voting for the amendments to Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 are currently underway in the House.
Rajya Sabha votes against sending CAB to the select committee. Final vote count on sending citizenship amendment bill to select committee comes to 124 against, 99 in favour after considering paper votes.
In Rajya Sabha, voting on sending Citizenship bill to select committee to begin.
Amit Shah on CAB in Rajya Sabha: Pakistan PM's comment and Congress' comment - both are alike. Why are you rattled when I talk about Pakistan?
Amit Shah on CAB in Rajya Sabha: Neither CAB is anti-Muslim, nor abrogation of Article 370 is anti-Muslim, Triple Talaq Bill is not anti-Muslim either. Triple Talaq is the Bill to give rights to crores of Muslim women in the country.
Amit Shah on Sri Lankan Tamils in Rajya Sabha: Sikkim will continue to enjoy rights under Article 371F, no dilution.
Amit Shah on Shiv Sena's changed stand on CAB: "I am surprised how people change colours for the greed of power. In Lok Sabha, Shiv Sena supported this bill but now not only me, but the people of Maharashtra also want to know what happened overnight that they have changed their stand."
Amit Shah on Citizenship bill in Rajya Sabha: The spirit of Liaquat–Nehru Pact, was not followed by the neighbouring country. It is the duty of every government to follow it in letter and spirit.
Amit Shah: 13,000 Hindus, Sikhs migrants from Pakistan given relief and citizenship during Congress rule.
Equality guaranteed in Article 14 does not prohibit law based on reasonable classification, says Home Minister Amit Shah defending Citizenship Bill.
Amit Shah on Citizenship bill in Rajya Sabha: 'There is no appreciation of the fact people from 6 religions have been included. But, the focus is only on why Muslims are not included.'
'Kapil Sibal was saying that no Indian Muslim is scared of us. But when did I say that they need to fear in the first place? They should not worry about #CAB as it does not affect them.'
Amit Shah on Citizenship bill in Rajya Sabha: "We do not need to divert the attention of the people. We brought this Bill in 2015, this bill was passed in Lok Sabha, went to JPC and then was stalled in Rajya Sabha."
Replying to Ghulam Nabi's Azad's statement that the government is trying to divert the attention of the country through CAB, Shah said.,"Hum chunavi rajneeti apne dum par ladte hain, apne neta ki popularity par ladte hain aur jeet te hain (We fight the electoral politics on our own might, on our leader's popularity and win them)."
"But when it comes to the solution of country's problems, we believe it is the responsibility of the government and we do it as well."
Amit Shah on Citizenship bill in Rajya Sabha: If partition had not taken place, then there would have been no need to bring this bill. If this bill was brought 50 years ago, then the situation had not been so severe today.
Home Minister Amit Shah is replying to questions of Parliamentarians in Rajya Sabha.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress: "Muslim women made to stand in a queue and were shot in Afghanistan for not wearing burqa. Was this not persectution?"
"The Home Ministry says it does not have the number of people facing persecution in neighbouring countries. You don't have the statistics and the home minister is saying from last 3 days that crores of people are facing persecution."
"In assam's dibrugarh, why the army march is taking place, why tear gas and shells are being used on people? Why the buses in Guwahati are being burned? If these states are protesting, then how come you are saying this Bill is acceptable to the people?"