After Rajya Sabha green signal, Citizenship Amendment Bill to hit Supreme Court roadblock
Several senior Congress leaders have indicated that the party may move the Supreme Court against the Citizenship Bill with Abhishek Singhvi saying that the legislation will be legally challenged as it is against the Constitution.
In Short
- As many as 125 MPs voted in favour of the Bill in the Upper House and 99 against it
- BJP's former ally Shiv Sena made a quiet exit from the House just before the voting
- Several Congress leaders indicated that the party may move SC against the Bill
A nine-hour long debate in the Rajya Sabha culminated in the passing of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill or CAB on Wednesday in which the House cast 125 votes in favour and 99 against.
As the mercurial debate on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill progressed, there were many flashpoints with a blackout of the Rajya Sabha TV as the Opposition heckled Home Minister Amit Shah while he was introducing the citizenship bill, to a verbal duel between the Opposition and the treasury benches.
While Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien drew parallels with Nazi Germany laws to slam the Citizenship Bill, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described December 12 as a "landmark day".
Several senior Congress leaders have indicated that the party may move the Supreme Court against the CAB with advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi saying that the legislation will be legally challenged in the near future as it is against the constitutionality of India.
The Opposition termed the Citizenship Bill, which was part of BJP's key election promises, as "unconstitutional", "divisive" and "an assault on the democratic and secular fabric of the nation".
As the Central government pulled up 125 votes in the favour of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill with cooperation from Janata Dal (United) (6) AIADMK (11) Biju Janata Dal (7) and Shiromani Akali Dal, the Opposition welcomed Shiv Sena's decision to abstain from voting.
Sonia Gandhi described the move to be a "dark day in the Constitution of India" as Rajya Sabha pushed the Citizenship Bill a step closer to becoming legislation.
"The passage of Citizenship Amendment Bill marks the victory of narrow-minded and bigoted forces over India's pluralism. It fundamentally challenges the idea of India that our forefathers fought for and, in its place, creates a disturbed, distorted and divided India where religion will become a determinant of nationhood," Sonia Gandhi said.
Speaking in Rajya Sabha, Chidambaram said the Bill is an attack on the soul of India that the ruling party is carrying out "to advance its Hindutva agenda".
Chidambaram also said that he has full faith in the country's judiciary and this "unconstitutional law" will stand no chance when it comes up for a test in front of the Supreme Court.
Rajya Sabha saw a heated debate with 40 speakers and proposals of 43 amendments. All of the amendments were rejected by the House. The Congress, the BJP and the Trinamool Congress issued a three-line whip to ensure they had worked out the arithmetic in their favour.
Amit Shah, in a politically charged response, told the House that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill had nothing to do with the Muslim community of India and they should not worry at all as they would not be impacted in any way.
Congress set up Chidambaram and Kapil Sibal as its speakers to corner the government. Chidambaram questioned the legality of CAB, saying that it will not stand any ground in front of the court of law.
Rebutting Amit Shah's comment that the remarks of Congress leaders matched that of Pakistani leaders, Kapil Sibal said, "You made a very objectionable statement earlier. No Indian Muslim fears you. Neither I nor any other citizen of the country is scared of you. We fear only the Constitution of the country."
Derek O'Brien, who was the second speaker after Congress's Anand Sharma, accused the government of indulging in "Jhansa, Jumla and Jhooth".
However, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad assured the House that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill had been proofread by the law ministry and will stand the test of the court of law.
While reports of violence in Assam and other northeast states rocked the Rajya Sabha discussion, Amit Shah said the northeastern people need not worry about their identity and entity.
Amit Shah accused successive governments of playing vote bank politics and said the Assam Accord was only on paper and it was only after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over the reins of the country in 2014 that a committee was constituted.