The Citizenship (Amendment) Act provides a path to citizenship for religious minorities facing persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who entered India prior to 2014. Specifically, it fast tracks citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from those countries. The bill was a election promise of the BJP and aims to protect religious minorities facing persecution in neighboring countries. However, opposition parties argue it violates India's constitution by granting citizenship based on religion rather than secular principles of equality. The act is also not the same as the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens, which does not consider religion in identifying illegal immigrants.

1. CITIZENSHIP (AMENDMENT) ACT:
BY HARSH KUMAR.

2. WHAT IS CITIZENSHIP (AMENDMET) ACT.
• Members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and
Christian communities, who have come from
Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, till December
31, 2014, facing religious persecution there will not
be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian
citizenship.

3. WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
The legislation applies to those who were “forced
or compelled to seek shelter in India due to
persecution on the ground of religion”. It aims
to protect such people from proceedings of
illegal migration. The cut-off date for
citizenship is December 31, 2014, which
means the applicant should have entered
India on or before that date. Indian
citizenship, under present law, is given either
to those born in India or if they have resided in
the country for a minimum of 11 years.

4. WHY DOES INDIA NEED THIS BILL?
• The Bill was an election promise of the BJP in the 2014 and 2019
Lok Sabha polls. Defence minister Rajnath Singh had made it clear
at the meeting of the BJP parliamentary party last week that the
legislation was the top priority of the government, equating its
significance with the decision to turn Article 370 into a dead letter.
"Minorities in the neighbouring the ocratic countries have been
subjected to continuous persecutions, which forced them to seek
asylum(refuge) in India. Giving citizenship to six minorities will be
yet another push from the Modi government to the spirit of ‘sarva
dharma sambhav’,” Singh said.

5. WHY IS THERE SUCH A HUE AND CRY?
The opposition says the Bill violative of
Article 14 of the Constitution — the
Right to Equality, they claim that
citizenship cannot be given on the basis
of religion. Congress MP Shashi
Tharoor said it violates the basic idea of
India that religion can never be a
reason for citizenship.

6. CAA same as NRC? NO!
The National Register of Citizens or NRC that we saw in
Assam targeted illegal immigrants. A person had to
prove that either they or their ancestors were in
Assam on or before March 24, 1971. NRC, which may
be extended to the rest of the country, is not based
on religion, unlike CAA.

7. THANK YOU.