Two out of four MPs of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) remained absent during proceedings on the crucial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
NCP members Majeed Memon and Vandana Chavan did not attend the House which saw treasury and Opposition benches exchanging heated arguments on the Bill.
Reacting on his colleagues' absence, Praful Patel said, "One of them is in poor health and the other has a marriage ceremony in her family. So they could not turn up."
However, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Patel participated in the proceedings over the Bill which provides for citizenship to non-Muslims who fled religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
The Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha with 125 members voting in favour and 105 MPs going against it. It was already approved by the Lok Sabha.