{"name":"Citizenship Amendment Bill!!","content":"\n

What is Citizenship\n(Amendment) bill?<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amending the Citizenship Act 1955 and\nchanging the definition of an illegal immigrant. According to the previous act<\/a>, any person who doesn\u2019t have\nproper documents will be termed as an illegal immigrant. According to the new\nact, people of the following religions from three countries will not be treated\nas an illegal immigrant: Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians\nfrom Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nprevious act had provisions for people living in India to receive citizenship through\nnaturalization. According to the previous act a person must have lived in the\ncountry for 11 years preceding the application submission of citizenship. This\nbill reduces that to 6 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB)\nhas been passed in Lok Sabha and was debated in the Upper House. It seeks to\nchange the basis of Indian citizenship by legalizing religious discrimination. The\nbiggest drawback of this bill is that it divides people on the basis of\nreligion which is against the values of our constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seeks to amend the definition of illegal immigrant for Hindu, Sikh, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who have lived in India without documentation. They will be granted fast-track Indian citizenship in six years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After hours of intense debate, the Lok Sabha passed The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2nd<\/sup> Dec 2019, Monday. The legislation seeks to make it easier for non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to gain citizenship in the country. The legislation is applicable to groups who arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bill also makes amendments to provisions related to OCI-(Overseas Citizen of India) cardholders. A foreigner may register as an OCI under the 1955 Act if they are of Indian origin (e.g., former citizen of India or their descendants) or the spouse of a person of Indian origin. This will entitle them to benefits such as the right to travel to India, and to work and study in the country. The Bill amends the Act to allow cancellation of OCI registration if the person has violated any law notified by the central government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill also exempts certain areas in the North-East from this provision. The Bill also makes amendments to provisions related to OCI cardholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How will the bill benefit refugees?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bill says that on\nacquiring citizenship: (i) such persons shall be deemed to be citizens of India\nfrom the date of their entry into India, and (ii) all legal proceedings against\nthem in respect of their illegal migration or citizenship will be closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is the bill\napplicable throughout India?<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bill says that the provisions on citizenship for illegal migrants will not apply to the tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, or Tripura, as included in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution. These tribal areas include Karbi Anglong (in Assam), Garo Hills (in Meghalaya), Chakma District (in Mizoram), and Tripura Tribal Areas District. It will also not apply to the areas under the Inner Line\u201d under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873. The Inner Line Permit regulates visit of Indians to Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why the Northeast is against the Bill?<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Illegal immigration has been a major issue in\nthe Northeast. The region has witnessed many agitations against illegal\nimmigrants for decades now. The citizenship bill has tried to redefine the\ndefinition of illegal immigrant and that has caused a lot of concern in\nNortheast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nbill tries to discriminate between religions and ignores Muslim minorities in\nneighboring countries. But, the biggest concern of people in Northeast is that\nthe bill undermines the effect of the Assam\nAccord<\/a> signed in 1985. According to the Assam Accord, any\nperson who can\u2019t prove their ancestor\u2019s presence in India before March 24 1971\nwill be deemed as an illegal immigrant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nAssam Accord didn\u2019t discriminate on the basis of religion and it ended the\n6-year long agitation against illegal immigration in the state of Assam.\nHowever, the Citizenship Amendment Bill has tried to change the definition of\nillegal immigrants and excluded religious minorities from the illegal immigrant\nlist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bengali\nHindus who migrated from Bangladesh to India constitute a major chunk of\nillegal immigrants in Assam. According to the new bill however, they will no\nmore be illegal immigrants and can be granted citizenship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nhas caused a lot of distress in Assam as it violates the Assam Accord.\n Asom Gana Parishad, an NDA ally in the state has threatened to break ties<\/a> if the bill is passed. This\nbill has caused communal divides in Assam to resurface which is not good for\nthe growth of the Northeast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The intention of the Bill<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The bill looks to provide a safe home to\nprosecuted refugees in neighboring countries of India. Many religious\nminorities in neighboring countries have to face a lot of discrimination and\nviolence due to their identity. The want to provide a safe shelter to them can\nbe understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nproblem arises when the government ignores Muslim religious minorities like\nShias and Ahmadiyyas. Muslim minorities also face a lot of discrimination on\nthe basis of religion. This can raise a question on the intention of the\ngovernment behind the bill. The ideological leanings can also be seen through\nthis bill. This bill promotes a hardline approach to the problem rather than a\nhumanitarian one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the NRC?<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

National Register of Citizens is a register\ncontaining names of every genuine Indian citizen. It is currently being updated<\/a> in Assam. The NRC is being\nupdated to identify illegal immigrants and send them back to their country of\norigin. But this bill changes the scenario now, as the definition of illegal\nimmigrants changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bengali\nHindus who were declared illegal immigrants by the NRC are now legal by the\ncurrent clauses of the bill. This nullifies the process of NRC and seriously\naffects the demographic of the region. This bill does not clear the plan and\nleaves the future of people undecided.\n\nConfusion regarding the NRC can prove fatal for\nthe process as it is coming to an end. This bill can undo a lot of hard work\nand can destroy the hopes of the people of Assam. The dilemma has been caused\ndue to this process and what lies ahead is still a big question mark for the\npeople of Assam.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","post_date":"2019-12-24 05:46:41","post_status":"publish","slug":"what-is-citizenship-amendment-bill","meta_title":"","meta_description":"","meta_keywords":"","featured":"Citizenship.jpg","categories":{"0":{"name":"Education","slug":"education"}}}