Opposition raised concerns, outlined issues of North-East citizens: Ambika Soni on CAB

Congress leader Ambika Soni on Thursday criticised National Democratic Alliance (NDA) members on the issue of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and said that the opposition leaders raised different concerns over the Bill and outlined the issues of the residents from North-East.

"We heard all the members in the House on the Bill. Every member of the NDA spoke in similar words and the same style. They didn't have any new point to speak over the Bill," Soni told ANI.

She also said that the concerns were raised by opposition MPs as they raised issues of different people from the North East.

"When the discussion was going on in the parliament, the whole opposition raised the concerns of North-East people. We, the opposition unanimously, outlined the consequences that this Bill can have on our people", he said.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 sailed through the Parliament after Rajya Sabha passed it on Wednesday. As many as 125 members of the Upper House voted in favour while 105 MPs voted against the Bill, which was passed by Lok Sabha earlier this week.

The Bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Zoroastrian communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.