NEW DELHI, Mar 2:
Opposition parties in the Lok Sabha today protested the government’s move to take the ordinance route to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2015 which seeks to merge Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI).
Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju moved the Bill which, he said, will fulfill the promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New York to Indian diaspora about the merger of the two schemes.
The government had already issued an Ordinance to this effect which the Bill seeks to replace.
Opposing the Bill, RSP Member N K Premachandran termed it ‘imperfect and improper’ and insisted that a Bill on the issue was already pending in the Rajya Sabha and the government tried to bypass Parliament.
Likewise, BJD Member Bhartruhari Mahtab pointed out to certain clauses, which according to him were specifically designed to give citizenship to a chosen few. The provisions of the Bill has been drafted in a very ‘callous manner’, he added. He questioned the government why minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal residing in India were not covered under the proposed act.
Ratna De (Nag) of Trinamool Congress said her party was in support of the Bill but opposed to the way it was brought in through ordinance route.
BJP Member Sanjay Jaiswal said as per the promise of the Prime Minister during his visit to United States to Indian diaspora, the government was fulfilling it.
The government had promulgated the Ordinance on January 6 which aims at giving PIO benefits like life-long visa and exemption from appearing before the local police station on every visit.
The decision to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 was taken after a large number of complaints were received from PIOs, who often complained of the hassle of visits to local police stations and stringent visa norms that debarred them from buying property in India, in comparison to those holding OCI cards. PIO cardholders were now eligible for only 15-year visas in comparison to lifelong visas given to those having OCI cards. It will also do away with the clause of foreigners who marry Indians to continuously stay in the country for a period of one year before they get Indian citizenship. The amendment will give foreigners a relief of 30 days in a year when they can travel outside the country. (UNI)
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