Fiery Debate & Walkout: Takeaways from RS Passing Citizenship Bill

Video Editor: Vishal Kumar

In the end, it was 125 ‘ayes’ and 99 ‘noes’.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 was passed in Rajya Sabha late on Wednesday, 11 December, after a marathon debate session. Parties voted along expected lines, apart from one major exception. And the arguments were quick and fiery. Here are three key takeaways:

Shiv Sena’s Abstention

One, the Shiv Sena abstention. Going in on the day of the debate, the original strength of the House was 240. Four we knew to be unwell, and three were not present. Before voting began, the Shiv Sena's three MPs walked out, boycotting voting.

This brought the numbers down to 230. On being asked about Shiv Sena’s stance, Sanjay Raut said, “Yes, the party has boycotted the voting.” He said, "We have kept forth our view. We are an independent political party. We have our own role."

Remember, Shiv Sena had voted in support of the Bill in the Lok Sabha. JDU and AIADMK voted along expected lines, supporting the Bill.

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Protests in Northeast Reflected in the Debate

Two, protests in Northeast outside Parliament, being reflected inside. “The Northeast is burning and you say whole of India is happy?" is what Ghulam Nabi Azad asked the government during the debate. Indian Army troops have been deployed in Assam, curfew in Guwahati has been extended for an indefinite period & Internet has also been suspended in several districts of Assam.

This mood was echoed in the speeches of MPs from the Northeast, like Assam Congress MP Ripun Bora, who said, “You have already finished Assam, you have finished the Northeast region... you have not learnt a lesson. Now, you are going to finish the entire country.”

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A Resurgent Opposition & A Shadow of Pakistan

Three, a resurgent opposition & the shadow of Pakistan. There were many face-offs between the Opposition and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the debate, like Congress leader Kapil Sibal saying, “Hindustan ka koi bhi Muslim aapse nahin darta,” to which Amit Shah replied, “Unhe darna bhi nahin chahiye.”

But the comment that everyone is talking about is Shah's jibe at Congress for making similar comments about the Citizenship Amendment Bill, like the Pakistan PM.

What next for the Citizenship Amendment Bill? Now that the Bill has passed, all eyes will now shift 3 kilometers to the right of the Rajya Sabha.

To the Supreme Court.