- Title: India's parliament set to vote on contentious citizenship bill amid protests
- Date: 11th December 2019
- Summary: GUWAHATI, INDIA (DECEMBER 11, 2019) (ANI - NO USE INDIA) PROTESTERS SITTING ON ROAD AND RASING SLOGANS AS SECURITY PERSONNEL STAND ON GUARD VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS WITH BANNERS, POSTERS RAISING SLOGANS SIGNBOARD READING (English): 'COLLEGE OF VETERINARY SCIENCE' POSTER IN HANDS OF A PROTESTER READING (English) 'CITIZENSHIP AUTOCRATIC BILL-2019'/PROTESTERS RAISING SLOGANS PROTESTERS RAISING SLOGANS SECURITY PERSONNEL STANDING ON GUARD PROTESTERS WITH POSTERS RAISING SLOGANS (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROTESTER, JIGYASH KUMAR GORA, SAYING: "The present government but they have destroyed all the faith by imposing the illegal migrants from who are… from the Bangladesh and (unclear) from other countries therefore we strongly oppose this (Citizenship Amendment) bill. Until and unless we give our life we'll always impose (oppose) this bill, each and every one of our…who are the indigenous Assamese people, we will always stand against this bill. We condemn this bill." AGARTALA, TRIPURA, INDIA (DECEMBER 11, 2019) (ANI - NO USE INDIA) BANNER READING (English): 'WE OPPOSE THE CITIZENSHIP AMENDMENT BILL'/PROTESTERS WITH POSTERS RAISING SLOGANS PROTESTERS WITH POSTERS RAISING SLOGANS POLICE OFFICIALS AND PROTESTERS GATHERED POLICE OFFICIALS TAKING AWAY PROTESTERS AS THEY RAISE SLOGANS PROTESTERS RAISING SLOGANS/POSTER IN HANDS OF PROTESTER READING (English) 'WE OPPOSE THE CITIZENSHIP AMENDMENT BILL' VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS BEING CARRIED BY POLICE OFFICIALS (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER, SAYING: "The Citizenship Amendment Bill will not work in Tripura…we will never let it happen. If the bill gets passed, then where will my generation live? In my country (state), there is no food to neither eat nor water to drink. There is nobody. How will the country be protected?" DIBRUGARH, ASSAM, INDIA (DECEMBER 11, 2019) (ANI - NO USE INDIA) VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS WALKING AND RAISING SLOGANS SECURITY PERSONNEL STANDING ON GUARD SECURITY PERSONNEL HITTING PROTESTERS WITH BATONS/PROTESTERS RUNNING SECURITY PERSONNEL STANDING SECURITY PERSONNEL STANDING AS SMOKE RISES IN BACKDROP SECURITY PERSONNEL AND PROTESTERS STANDING GOLAGHAT, ASSAM, INDIA (DECEMBER 11, 2019) (ANI - NO USE INDIA) (SD) VARIOUS OF TYRE BURNING AS PROTESTERS RAISE SLOGANS PROTESTERS RAISING SLOGANS TYRE BURNING AS PROTESTERS RAISE SLOGANS PROTESTERS RAISING SLOGANS TYRE BURNING AS PROTESTERS RAISE SLOGANS
- Embargoed: 25th December 2019 08:38
- Keywords: Amit Shah Citizenship Amendment Bill India Parliament Rajya Sabha protests upper house
- Location: NEW DELHI/ GUWAHATI, DIBRUGARH, GOLAGHAT, ASSAM/ AGARTALA, TRIPURA, INDIA
- City: NEW DELHI/ GUWAHATI, DIBRUGARH, GOLAGHAT, ASSAM/ AGARTALA, TRIPURA, INDIA
- Country: India
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002B9J6FRJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS HIGH DEFINITION MATERIAL
India's ruling Hindu nationalists pushed for final parliamentary approval on Wednesday (December 11) for a law that critics say undermines the country's secular constitution by granting citizenship to non-Muslim minorities from three neighboring countries.
Home Minister Amit Shah tabled the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the upper house of India's parliament, a day after the lower house gave its approval.
Opposition parties, minority groups, academics and a U.S. federal panel have contested the bill, which for the first time provides a legal route to Indian citizenship based on religion, calling it discriminatory against Muslims.
The proposed law seeks to give citizenship to Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Parsis and Sikhs, who fled Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan before 2015.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said on Monday that Washington should consider sanctions against Shah, a close associate of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, if India adopts the legislation.
Introducing the bill in the upper house, Shah defended his government's move, saying the new law only sought to help minorities persecuted in Muslim-majority countries contiguous with India.
"It is a question of giving citizenship to people who have come (fled other countries) because religious torture. The minorities or any Muslim need not worry, I want to say this clearly nobody needs to worry. If anyone threatens you or scares you, don't get scared this is Narendra Modi government that is moving with the spirit of the constitution so minority will get full protection," Shah said.
Unlike the lower house, where Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has a clear majority, the ruling party will likely find it more challenging to push the bill through the upper house, as it is unclear whether it can garner enough support from regional parties.
A vote is expected late on Wednesday.
Protests against the measure have flared in various parts of India, including the ethnically diverse northeastern states, where people fear that settlers from neighboring Bangladesh could be granted citizenship.
In Assam and Tripura states, thousands of people protested as they came out on the streets raising slogans, carrying banners and posters.
Some opposition Muslim politicians have argued that the bill is targeted against the community, criticizing the Modi government for trying to render them "stateless". - Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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