Union Home Minister Amit Shah will move the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The Bill, which is an amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955 and was passed by the Lok Sabha, will come up for consideration and passing.
Sushma Swaraj's husband Swaraj Kaushal has now backed the Bill. Taking to Twitter Swaraj Kaushal said that he remembers Laxman Singh Sodha who was Minister in the cabinet of General Ayub Khan then President of Pakistan, and even he had to escape from Pakistan and seek refuge in India. So one should imagine the plight of an average citizen from the minority community in Pakistan, he further added.
"I remember Mr.Laxman Singh Sodha was a Minister in the cabinet of General Ayub Khan then President of Pakistan. Even he had to escape from Pakistan and seek refuge here. You can well imagine the plight of an average citizen from the minority community in Pakistan," Swaraj Kaushal tweeted.
According to the proposed legislation, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who came to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan by December 31, 2014 and faced religious persecution in those countries, will not be treated as illegal immigrants and given Indian citizenship.
After heated discussions spanning seven hours, the Citizenship Bill was passed by a majority of 311 votes against 80 in the Lower House where 391 members were present and voting on Monday. The NDA will require the support of at least 123 MPs in the 240-member Rajya Sabha for the Bill to be passed.
