Citizenship
(Amendment) Act, 2019 is a hot topic debate that is discussed by everyone
right now, whether it is discussed in the open ground or behind the 4 walls. Everyone
is pouring their opinions on the Citizenship
(Amendment) Act, 2019.
There is a menacing predicament going on various platforms;
the army and the police are burdened with the onus to handle the protestors.
Amidst all of these, do we have all the knowledge about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 or
are we believing in unreliable sources of information?
Let us take see what the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 is in real in a flash:
What is the Citizenship
(Amendment) Act, 2019?
Let us understand this with an example. Suppose 3 men are
drowning in the sea; they belong to Sikh, Hindu and Muslim communities.
A 4th man, who is passing by, heard their noises
and go for help.
When he reaches them, he asks, particularly about their
religion. And says that he will protect only Hindu & Sikh, and not the
third one, as he belongs to the Muslim religion. This is because if a Muslim
passer-by comes, then he can board his boat.
Now, considering this simple example, if we can understand
the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 that
this bill attracts only particular communities towards it.
Now, understanding the CAB
Bill according to the Indian Constitution. This bill was amended with the
objective to provide shelter to the exiled people (from Pakistan, Bangladesh,
and Afghanistan) who hold the religious minority status belonging to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians.
This bill is neutral towards the Muslim religion.
Who can avail of the benefits under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019?
Those who have entered the Indian borders, or who are
residing in India on or before 31 December 2014, and belong to the
aforementioned religions can apply for the Indian citizenship under the CAB Bill.
The person should be facing "religious persecution or
fear of religious persecution" in their own country, before taking the
assistance of the CAB Bill.
What is the history of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019?
The CAB Bill was
already in the manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during their
election campaign. The political party openly supported the grant of Indian
Citizenship to Hindu refugees, who are coming from Muslim countries like
Bangladesh and Pakistan, towards India.
You can read the Bharatiya Janata Party’s manifesto here. Turn to page 12 of the manifesto and you can read clearly on
the said bill.
How many people will get benefits from CAB Bill 2019?
As of now, there is a conjecture that only 30,000 immigrants
will get the citizenship of India, according to an Intelligence Bureau report.
When the CAB Bill 2019 was got passed in the Parliament?
The CAB Bill was published (under the Bill Citation No. 370
of 2019) and read firstly in the Lok Sabha on 9 December 2019, and
consequently, 2nd and 3rd time on 10 December & 11
December 2019, respectively.
Amit Shah (Minister of Home Affairs) introduced the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 in
the Parliament.
After the protests from heterogeneous political parties, the
CAB Bill was sent to the Parliament
on 4th December 2019.
The day was 11 December 2019 when it got
passed and then on the next day, i.e., 12 December 2019, this bill was signed
by the President of India, Mr. Ram Nath Kovind.
Which political parties supported the CAB Bill?
This bill got a total 125 votes in favor of the various
political parties in the Rajya Sabha. These political parties comprise of Janata
Dal (United), AIADMK, Biju Janata
Dal, TDP and YSR-Congress.
What is the National Register of Citizens (NRC) by the Government of India?
The National
Register of Citizens (NRC) is the Indian citizenship offered by the
Government of India on the basis of relevant information on the documents in
the Assam state.
This bill came into the picture to deport illegal immigrants
from the soil of the Assam state.
However, on 20th November 2019, this register was
declared to all the states of India on the behest of Home Minister, Mr. Amit
Shah.
And, now every illegal immigrant is under the dread of being
deported back.
Aftermath of Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019
There is full aftermath is going on after the declaration of
the CAB Bill 2019 in the states of
Assam, West Bengal, Delhi.
On 15th December 2019, the army used full
violence mode on the CAB Protestors,
the students of Jamia Millia Islamia University were beaten & harassed,
irrespective of their gender.
The conflagration also reached to the educational
institutions of IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras, Jadavpur
University, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Indian Institute of
Science (IISc), Pondicherry University as well as the Students'
Federation of India.
We will provide you more on CAB and NRC.