GUWAHATI: The much-talked about Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 was passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8.
The bill which was passed by the union cabinet on January 7, was presented and passed in the Lok Sabha after discussion on January 8, which was the last day of the Parliament’s Winter Session.
The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 seeks to amend the Citizenship Act 1955 by making Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan to become eligible for Indian citizenship.
During the discussion on the bill, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal said that the Bill is unconstitutional and should not exist in a secular country like India. He also added that the Bill goes against the Assam Accord.
Further, Guwahati MP Bijoya Chakravarty, said, “I wholeheartedly believe this Bill will safeguard the dwindling population of Assamese people. Even after Assam Accord, there is no stoppage of infiltration.”
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the other hand assured that the government is committed to protect the customs, traditions, linguistic and cultural identity of indigenous Assamese people.
“I want to appeal to the people of Assam, doubts and confusion which are being sown into the minds of people are baseless. The burden of people coming from other countries will not just be borne by Assam but by the entire country.”
