Kumaraswami kamaraj, Former Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha

Condemning the "inaccurate" and "unwarranted" comments made by US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Citizenship Amendment Bill that was passed in the Lok Sabha yesterday, India on Tuesday said that the Bill aims at providing expedited consideration for Indian citizenship to persecuted religious minorities from "contiguous" countries.In a statement released by Ministry of External Affairs' spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, New Delhi asserted that the Bill should be "welcomed not criticised". The Bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghstan.The USCIRF, a US federal government commission, on Tuesday released a statement condemning the Bill. It deemed the Bill as a "dangerous turn in the wrong direction" and has sought American sanctions against Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other principal Indian leadership if the bill with the "religious criterion" is passed by both houses of Parliament."The statement made by USCIRF on the Citizenship Amendment Bill is neither accurate nor warranted. The Bill provides expeditated consideration from Indian citizenship to persecuted religious minorities already in India from certain contiguous countries. It seeks to address its current difficulties and meet their basic human rights. Such an initiative should be welcomed not criticised by those who are genuinely committed to religious freedom," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.The ministry lashed out at the commission saying, "...It is, however, regrettable that the body has chosen to be guided only by its prejudice and biases on a matter on which it clearly has little knowledge and no locus standi."The ministry has clarified that the "CAB does not affect the existing avenues available to all communities interested in seeking citizenship from doing so."The Lok Sabha on Monday passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019, with a majority of 311 votes against 80 votes where 391 members were present and voting.The Bill which was introduced by Home Minister Amit Shah has been brought to ensure that persecuted communities in Pakistan, Afghstan and Bangladesh can live a dignified life in India.Through this Bill, Indian citizenship will be provided to the members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who have come from the three countries to India till December 31, 2014, to put an end to them being treated as illegal immigrants in the country.( With inputs from ANI )

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Arunachal Pradesh Home Minister Bamang Felix on Tuesday said that the state's student leaders are satisfied with the centre's decision of keeping the state out of the purview of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 and hoped that the protest against ...

Hindu refugees from Pakistan, living in Majnu-Ka-Tila area here, on Tuesday celebrated the passage of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 in the Lok Sabha. ...

A day after the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said that the Shiv Sena will not support the proposed legislation unless the party's queries in the Rajya Sabha ...

Janata Dal (United) did not find anything wrong in the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, hence, supported it in Lok Sabha, party MP Kaushalendra Kumar on Tuesday said, asserting that the bill did not interfere into the lives of the Indian Muslims. ...

The All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) on Tuesday announced an 11-hour statewide bandh in support of the North East Students' Orgsation's (NESO) decision to shut down the entire Northeast region, except Nagaland, to protest against the Cit ...

BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya slammed the opposition leaders for their objections over the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) 2019 and said that with their stance on the issue the 'real faces of Congress and other p ...

Scores of people including women in Agartala city on Tuesday launched a large scale protest against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which was passed in Lok Sabha yesterday. ...

Condemning the "inaccurate" and "unwarranted" comments made by US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Citizenship Amendment Bill that was passed in the Lok Sabha yesterday, India on Tuesday said that the Bill aims at providing e ...