Centre puts citizenship bill on agenda of House

NEWDELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (Bjp)-led government has officially informed Parliament that it wants to amend the Citizenship Act in the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament, a move that promises to trigger protests by many Opposition parties and make for a lively session.

The controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill, which accelerates the process under which non-muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan can get Indian citizenship, figures in the tentative list of 35 bills the parliamentary affairs ministry has sent to the legislative branch of the Lok Sabha.

The list, provided by the Lok Sabha secretariat, also includes the industrial relations code — one of the four key labour reforms the government wants to legislate — and laws replacing two ordinances, one banning e-cigarettes and the other lowering

corporate tax rates.

The Winter Session will begin on Monday and is scheduled to go on until December 13.

Congress’s Lok Sabha floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said his party would oppose the bill if it comes to the House. “There is no change in our stand. They want to give Indian citizenship on the basis of religion, which will not be permissible

under judicial scrutiny,” said Chowdhury.

Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla has called a meeting of leaders of various parties on Saturday, where the government is likely to discuss its legislative agenda with the Opposition. Birla is expected to ask all the parties to refrain from jumping into the well of the House and to not disturb proceedings.