In the wake of proposing the biased equality 'Citizenship Amendment Bill' which grants Indian citizenship based on the religion, the United States Commission on the International Religious Freedom has now urged the United States government to impose sanctions against Union Home Minister Amit Shah if the country passes the amendment to the Citizenship Bill 1955 that reportedly violates the fundamental rights of Indian constitution by curbing and suppressing the Muslims, who have been either excluded or intentionally ignored in the bill.

By introducing the bill, that was cleared by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday with a huge majority, Amit Shah had webbed and prompted the criticism from India and beyond the borders where the voices had spurred against him on his proposal to scale the citizenship based on the religion by demeaning the Indian constitution and shacking its preamble of having democratic, socialist, secular, and republic country. Despite the outcry and uproar from the Indian opposition parties and the people, the bill has passed the majority test in Lok Sabha and expected to get tabled in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, where the Modi led BJP government runs shortage of majority. 

By seeking the US government to levy sanctions against Amit Shah, the U.S. Commission said that the measure goes against India's constitution, which guarantees legal equality to people of all faiths. It further stated that if the bill clears both the chambers of the Parliament, the United States government must consider to enforce the embargos against the Home Minister and other principal leadership of India.

After the US panel had urged to propose sanctions against Amit Shah, External Affairs Ministry of India denied the statement of the panel as 'inaccurate' and claimed that the bill has been proposed to protect the religious minorities who fled from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan to India due to religious persecution and suppression in their home countries. While addressing the reporters, the ministry's official spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that the bill seeks to address the current difficulties of the minorities and to meet their basic human rights. The Central government has justified the bill to protect the Hindus who fled from Bangladesh, Christians from Pakistan and Sikhs from Afghanistan as these minorities have allegedly faced violence in recent years. However, the critics and the opposition parties have said that the bill discriminates the Muslims.

On the other hand, the United Nations had refused to comment on the legislation. Addressing the reporters about the UN response of the proposed bill, Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General has said that this legislation would go through a legislative process and cited that the United Nations has no comment while the domestic legislative process is being carried out. He further cited that the UN has been more concerned to ensure that the governments propose non-discriminatory laws.

On Tuesday, Lok Sabha has consented the legislation that amends the Citizenship Act 1955, which would induct Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians, Parsis -excluding Muslims, who migrated to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan till December 31st, 2014 as Indian citizens by revoking their identities as 'illegal immigrants'. The bill has got 311 votes in favor while 80 MPs have voted against it. The bill was one of the controversial poll promises by the BJP led National Democratic Alliance during the 2019 General elections along with the abrogation of special status in Kashmir and building Ram temple in the disputed land of Ayodhya.

Also read: https://thenewstuff.in/citizenship-amendment-bill-blunder-thunders