Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 will be written in "golden" letters as it will give permanent relief to people coming to India due religious persecution in their countries.
"Those who were living their lives in instability, for them it will be written in golden letters. The religious persecuted minorities have come here after partition. They are residing here permanently. They don't have citizenship and ration cards. They were leading an unstable life. Now, after this amendment, they will have permanent relief," Joshi said quoting Modi, who was present in BJP parliamentary party meeting ahead of today Parliament proceedings.
The Bill, which seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Zoroastrian communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who entered India on or before December 31, 2014, was tabled in Rajya Sabha today.
It was passed by the Lok Sabha with a majority of 311 votes against 80 in the Lower House where 391 members were present and voted on Monday.
In the 245-member Rajya Sabha, the halfway mark is currently 121 as five seats are vacant bringing down the strength of the House to 240.
Joshi said that the Bill will be passed in the Upper House with a "comfortable majority".
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