Rajya Sabha appoints 10 MPs to joint panel on Citizenship (Amendment) Bill

Rajya Sabha on Friday named 10 of its members to the Joint Committee of Parliament that will go into the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

A resolution moved by Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, on behalf of Home Minister Rajnath Singh, for appointment of ten of its members to the Joint Committee of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha was carried by a voice vote.

Members who were nominated to the Committee were Vinay Sahasrabuddhe (BJP), Dilip Pandya (both BJP), P Bhattacharya, Bhubaneswar Kalita (both Cong), Javed Ali Khan (SP), Derek O' Brien (TMC), Harivansh (JD-U), Prasanna Acharya (BJD), Satish Chandra Mishra (BSP) and Swapan Dasgupta (Nom).

The draft Bill seeks to help migrants of virtually all denominations - except Muslims - from the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh to get Indian citizenship after a stay of six years.

After Opposition objections, the Bill was on Thursday referred to the Joint Committee after it was moved in Lok Sabha. The Home Minister had then told the Lower House that he agreed with the suggestion of members from all sides to send the bill to the panel.