Cabinet approves Citizenship Bill, to be introduced in Lok Sabha on Tuesday

January 7: Amid wide protests, The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 which was redrafted by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was cleared by the Union Cabinet on Monday.The bill was cleared in a meeting of the Union cabinet which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The bill is expected to be tabled in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Earlier during the day, the Joint Parliamentry Committee(JPC) headed by MP Rajendra Agarwala tabled its report on the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 at the winter session of Lok Sabha. Barring a few minor changes, the JPC recommended for introduction of the original form of the proposed legislation, which seeks to grant Indian nationality to people belonging to minority communities, other than Muslims in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India instead of 12 even if they don’t possess any proper document. This was an election promise of the BJP in 2014.

The final report of 440 pages will be placed before the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, that is, January 8, which is the last day of the Parliament’s Winter Session. MP Sapan Dasgupta and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Vice President Vinay Sahasrabuddhe submitted its report at the Rajya Sabha. The Bill though has raised much storm in the state but showing strong defiance to all protests, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on last Friday in a rally at Silchar said “The Citizenship Bill is an atonement of the wrong that was done during India’s Partition. I hope this bill is passed soon in Parliament. India will safeguard all who had been victims of the Partition.”

However, many of the political analysts are of the view that the Bill even if is passed in the Lok Sabha, will fail to cross the Rajya Sabha. Though the scene would be clear on Tuesday, but analysts opine that even the BJP knows that the Bill will not be passed by the Parliament, but they are definitely going to make this an issue during the Lok Sabha campaign to garner support from the Bengali voters trying to convince them against Congress for lack of whose support the fate of the Bill would be sealed.