Citizenship Bill in Rajya Sabha: Who said what

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Citizenship Amendment Bill has been presented in the Rajya Sabha by the government after having it passed in the Lok Sabha late Monday night. The upper house has been debating on the Bill with stalwarts from both camps making a strong case. On one hand is Union Home Minister Amit Shah's firm belief in the Bill while on the other is a strong opposition of Kapil Sibal and Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Who Said What?

Amit Shah

The Home Minister rejected charges of vote bank politics and said the Bharatiya Janata Party has declared its intention to bring such legislation in the manifesto. Speaking on the Bill, Home Minister Amit Shah further said, "non-Muslim minorities from three nations who came to India after Independence will be given Indian citizenship." 

"No Muslim in India needs to worry due to this Bill. Don't get scared if someone tries to scare you," Home Minister Amit Shah said, adding, "This is Narendra Modi's government working according to the Constitution and minorities will get full protection."

Ghulam Nabi Azad

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said the Opposition could get the required numbers in Rajya Sabha against the Citizenship Bill as parties that supported the BJP in Lok Sabha might vote against the proposed legislation in the wake of nationwide protests. The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha alleged that the Bill is "totally discriminatory and unconstitutional". The Bill has been rejected by one and all from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, he claimed.

P Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram took on the government over the contentious Citizenship Bill. Speaking in the upper house, Chidambaram said that the government was ramming through the Bill to advance its Hindutva agenda. "This government is ramming through this Bill to advance its Hindutva agenda. This is a sad day. I am absolutely clear that this law will be struck off," Chidambaram said.

He also asked the government to present in front of the house, the basis of its legal arguments. "If the government consulted the Attorney General, there is a provision to call the AG in the house and question him directly. If the Law Ministry gave the government the assurances of the legality of the Bill, the details should be placed in front of the house." 

Kapil Sibal

Congress stalwart Kapil Sibal opposed the Citizenship Bill in the Rajya Sabha saying that the Bill gave legal colour to the two-nation theory which led to the partition of India and the birth of Pakistan in 1947. 

In his reply to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who has on several occasions said that the amendment in the Citizenship Act would not have been needed had Congress not divided India on the grounds of religion, Kapil Sibal said, "I don't understand which history books the Home Minister has been reading. Two-nation theory is not our (Congress') theory. It was perpetrated by Savarkar."

Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut Took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said that our muscular and powerful government should finish Pakistan if they do not like their language. "We have a very powerful government. If you do not like the language of Pakistan we should finish it," the fiery leader said while speaking during the debate on controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

D Kupendra Reddy

JDS's Kupendra Reddy said, "this Bill will be dilution of our secularism policy in this country. I strongly oppose this Bill. I recommend that the Bill be sent to a select committee of Parliament for scrutiny."

Sanjay Singh

AAP's Sanjay Singh strongly opposed the Bill in Rajya Sabha, "I am opposing this Bill as it is against the Constitution made by Baba Saheb Ambedkar. It is against the Preamble of the Constitution. It is against the India of the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi and Bhagat Singh."

Subramaniam Swamy

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy told Rajya Sabha that the opposition parties were confused over CAB and NRC. "Most of them opposed the NRC and now they are opposing CAB," he said. Swamy, who is also a senior lawyer, argued in Rajya Sabha that Article 14 allowed the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Bill as it cannot be read alone. The Article has to be read with numerous judgments connects to it, in which the court has permitted special treatment to some people of a case to case basis, he said.

Also Read | Explained: What is Citizenship (Amendment) Bill? And why are people of North-East protesting it?