Amid rousing protests, union home minister Amit Shah tabled the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB), 2019, in Lok Sabha on Monday.
Out of 375 votes, there were 293 votes in favour of introduction of CAB, while 82 votes were against the introduction.
The contentious citizenship bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees escaping religious persecution from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
“CAB is not unconstitutional. I assure you that the Bill does not violate any of the articles in the Constitution,” Shah said while defending the bill.
“Indira Gandhi granted citizenship to Bangladeshi refugees in 1971. Was her move also unconstitutional?” Shah asked.
“These protests cannot continue as the government has been elected for five years, you will now have to listen to us,” Shah added.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, said, “CAB is nothing but targeted legislation for the minorities living in this country.”
“Shah’s assurances that the bill is not against minorities even by a small percentage is “completely misleading”.