India’s lower house passes nationality bill
11 December, 2019
India’s lower house passed controversial legislation early Tuesday that will grant citizenship to religious minorities from neighboring countries, but not Muslims, amid raucous scenes in Parliament and protests in the country’s northeast.
The Citizenship Amendment Bill provides that Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians fleeing persecution in Muslim-majority Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan can be granted citizenship.
It comfortably passed the lower house with 311 votes in favor and 80 against just after midnight.
“This bill is in line with India’s centuries old ethos of assimilation and belief in humanitarian values,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, adding that he was “delighted” about its passage.
But to Muslim organizations, rights groups and others, the bill is part of Modi’s push to marginalize India’s 200-million-strong Islamic minority — a claim he and his government deny.
“This is not a bill that is discriminatory,” Home Minister Amit Shah said. “This is a bill to give rights, not to take them away from anybody.”
Source: the-japan-news.com
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