Today’s Big StoriesCitizenship Bill to be tabled in Parliament today, US commission denounced provisions as 'dangerous'
The contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is slated to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha today. It was passed in the Rajya Sabha after a seven-hour-long debate.Fiery defence: The Bill is not in violation of constitutional provisions, Union Minister Amit Shah said in the Lok Sabha. It will give relief to people living a painful life after facing persecution in neighbouring countries, he said.Number game: While on paper, the BJP-led NDA appears to have a slim majority in the upper House, there still seem to be some uncertainties regarding a few parties’ stand on the issue — mainly the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and Shiv Sena. Fazil Khan writes that the road to pass the bill may become a little wobbly if some of the allies reconsider their position.Boiling unrest: Meanwhile, large parts of the northeast simmered with protests by students' unions and Left-democratic organisations against the bill, with choked roads leaving an ailing two-month-old baby dead on the way to hospital.Sanction threat: A federal US commission on international religious freedom said that the bill is a "dangerous turn in wrong direction", seeking sanctions against Shah if the bill is passed. In response, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that the comments were not accurate, and that body has chosen to be guided only by its biases on a matter on which it has no locus standi.Digging old graves: On Monday, Shah said the Liaquat-Nehru pact failed to achieve its objectives in protecting minorities in Pakistan, and this flaw is now being remedied by the BJP. In 1950, Liaquat Ali Khan and Jawaharlal Nehru signed the Delhi Pact on safety of minorities and communal harmony. Eram Agha speaks to historians, academics and authors on why Shah may not be right in relying on the Pact to justify the Citizenship Bill.
Ahead of its introduction in the Rajya Sabha, take this quiz to find out how well you know the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.In Other NewsTrump impeachment: Democrats announced formal charges against President Donald Trump that accuse him of abusing power and obstructing Congress. The full House of Representatives is expected to vote on the charges, or articles of impeachment, next week. The chamber, controlled by Democrats, is almost certain to vote to impeach the Republican president.Telangana rape and murder: The Supreme Court will hear a petition questioning the legality of the police shooting dead four men accused of raping and murdering the 26-year old vet in Hyderabad. The Cyberabad Police had termed the shooting retaliatory fire. On Tuesday, cops trashed reports that the accused were minors, and submitted their report to the National Human Rights Commission.Looking ahead: Touting India’s huge potential in taking the lead in electric mobility, road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said the adoption of electric vehicles would help reduce the government’s import bill substantially which in turn will help create “crores of jobs" in the country.On Our SpecialsJudge and jury: There is one simple issue at the heart of the horror and brutality in the recent incidents in Telangana – how and why did the police delay the search for the victim of the fatal rape. That is the focal point of lack of accountability and failure although it is a separate case to the killings of the accused. Sanjoy Hazarika writes that while the matter needs thorough investigation, at first glance the police version of the killings of these four accused in Telangana has numerous gaps.Bizarre: Nirbhaya case convict Akshay filed his review petition in the Supreme Court, questioning why give him death penalty when his life is going to be short due to bad air and water in Delhi. Utkarsh Anand reports that it also said that the rich are rarely sent to gallows and when the judiciary cannot apply uniform standards, it has no right to give death penalty to anyone.On Reel
Curated and compiled by Chitwan Kaur
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