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Thursday, 5 December 2019

The Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019

What is Citizenship Act 1955 ?
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Along with the Constitution of India, the Citizenship Act, 1955, is the exhaustive law relating to citizenship in India. The conferment of a person, as a citizen of India, is governed by Articles 5 to 11 (Part II) of the Constitution of India. ... It is a punishable offence if the person fails to surrender the passport.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 provides for according Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after seven years of residence in India instead of 12 years, which is the norm currently, even if they do not possess any document.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 provides for according Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after seven years of residence in India instead of 12 years, which is the norm currently, even if they do not possess any document.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 provides for according Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after seven years of residence in India instead of 12 years, which is the norm currently, even if they do not possess any document.

There has been strong opposition to the bill in Assam and other Northeastern states.

Student organisations, political parties and socio-cultural bodies have been protesting on the grounds that it seeks to grant nationality to non-Muslims who have come into India up to December 31, 2014, thereby increasing the deadline from 1971 as per the Assam Accord.

Also, according to the Assam Accord, all illegal immigrants who have come after 1971, irrespective of their religion, have to be deported and this bill violates that.

Two BJP chief ministers of the Northeast -- Arunachal Pradesh's Pema Khandu and Manipur's N Biren Dingh -- have also voiced their opposition to the contentious Bill.

In February 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the bill is an "atonement of the wrong that was done during India's Partition. India will safeguard all who had been victims of the Partition". 
Why is the Bill facing criticism?
This proposed legislation has received considerable flak due to the perceived threat to minorities. While the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam did not distinguish illegal immigrants on the basis of religion, critics say the Bill is designed to exclude Muslims and favour Hindus.
According to detractors, the Bill also goes against Article 14 of the Constitution which guarantees the right to equality. The bill seeks to give citizenship on the basis of religion.
Article 14 of the Indian constitution of India provides that the state shall not deny to any person Equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws in the Territory of India.
What happens if bill passed ?
If the Bill is passed, persons belonging to these communities would not be jailed or deported under the Passport (Entry into India) Act of 1920 and the Foreigners Act of 1946. It sets December 31, 2014, as the cut-off date after which any person moving to India from these neighboring countries will be considered for citizenship.


What is the BJP’s political gain or loss from the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 ? 
References : Economic Times ,News 18

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