According to a provision in the Citizenship Amendment Bill, non-Muslim religious minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, namely Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis, can get Indian citizenship after 6 years of residence in India instead of 12 and without proper documents.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act provides for the granting of Indian citizenship to illegal immigrants belonging to certain religious communities (Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Christian, Buddhist and Parsi) from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Muslims are not included in it

National Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, The ‘Citizenship (Amendment) Act-2016’ amended the 1955 Act, whereby those who crossed the border into India from these Muslim countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan – would not be treated as illegal immigrants.

This bill is not limited to the state of Assam. It will be applicable for all the states and union territories of the country. Beneficiaries under this bill can live in any state of the country. For this, the ‘Citizenship Act-1955’ will be amended.

Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis will get citizenship of India after 6 years of residence in India instead of 12 and without proper documents. “There is no other country other than India for the minorities of this country to go to.

Former Prime Minister Dr. Even Manmohan Singh, when he was the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha during the BJP government, had taken the stand that the issue of oppression of minorities in Bangladesh should be considered with a liberal intention. India had also signed an agreement with Pakistan and Bangladesh to protect minorities.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill, first introduced in Parliament in 2016, was referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). The report was submitted by this committee. According to its recommendations, after the bill was again introduced in the Lok Sabha, the bill was approved by voice vote.

Meanwhile, Congress, Trinamool Congress, Indian Union Muslim League, Rashtriya Janata Dal, MIM opposed the bill alleging that the bill was anti-constitutional.

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