NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah will on Monday introduce the contentious citizenship (amendment) bill in the Lok Sabha, a move that is likely to trigger parliamentary showdown over the draft legislation that proposes Indian citizenship for non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

The bill proposes to give citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians if they entered India from the three nearby countries on or before December 31, 2014.

North-eastern student organisations, civil society groups and opposition parties have been protesting the government’s move, saying it will lead to an influx of religious minorities and hurt the interests of indigenous communities in the region.

 Watch | Explained | Citizenship Amendment Bill: The content, the controversy

The Union Cabinet cleared the bill last week, fulfilling a key election promise of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but several opposition parties said they continue to oppose the draft bill, which they said linked citizenship to religion and therefore violated the Constitution.

The Congress’s parliamentary strategy group held a meeting at party president Sonia Gandhi’s residence and decided to strongly protest against the bill in Parliament. “The Congress will oppose the citizenship amendment bill tooth and nail in Parliament as it is against the country’s Constitution, secular ethos, tradition, culture and civilisation,” the Congress’s leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said after the meeting concluded.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said his party will move two amendments on the bill when it is introduced in the Lok Sabha. “We strongly oppose the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill which gives citizenship on the basis of religion, that also to people from three countries,” Yechury said. He said that India is home equally to all religions and that people of all religions must get equal treatment.

On Sunday, a protest against the bill turned violent when a group of people in Dibrugarh vandalised an office of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), an ally of the BJP in Assam. Sixteen organisations have called for a 12-hour bandh in the state on December 10 to protest against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. People in the region strongly opposed a previous version of the bill earlier this year.

The protesters feel that the draft bill will dilute the Assam Accord that promises deportation of any illegal foreigners who arrived after March 24, 1971, a day before the war of liberation in Bangladesh began. The AASU and 30 other organisations said they will hold demonstrations against the bill.

The government has said the draft bill, which seeks to amend the Citizenship Act of 1955, is aimed at three goals: equity, accountability and innovation; and that the bill will apply to those people “who were forced or compelled to seek shelter in India due to persecution on the ground of religion or fear of such persecution in his country”.

Speaking at an election meeting in poll-bound Jharkhand, Union minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh criticised the stance of the opposition parties that have sought the withdrawal of the bill. Countering the allegation that the government’s move was divisive, Singh said: “The BJP does not discriminate people on the basis of faith or caste.”

The Shiromani Akali Dal hailed the NDA government’s decision to introduce the bill in Parliament, saying a long-pending demand of the party has been accepted. It, however, said the bill should cover all persecuted people irrespective of their religion.

On Monday afternoon, the home minister will introduce the bill to amend the six-decade-old Citizenship Act and it will be taken up for discussion and passage later in the day, according to the Lok Sabha’s list of business. Both the Congress and the BJP have issued whips to their members in the Lower House to remain present from December 9 to 11.

The draft bill says that all criminal cases for illegal migration against religious minority groups seek refuge in India will stand abated and they will be deemed to be Indian citizens from the date of their entry into the country. Such people will be naturalised citizens.

In addition, the number of years required for obtaining naturalised citizenship of India is proposed to be reduced from the current 11 years to five years.

There are two notable exceptions that were absent in the previous version of the bill that passed in the Lok Sabha in January but triggered massive protests. The first are the tribal areas under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which deals with autonomous tribal-dominated regions in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

The second are areas covered under the inner-line permit (ILP) regime, under which non-locals need prior permission before visiting these areas. Such regions exist in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram.

The draft bill also empowers the government to withdraw someone’s Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) status if they violate any provision of the new Citizenship Act or provisions of any other law.

Providing citizenship to minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan was a key election promise of the BJP, which has been vocal in the past about the alleged persecution of Hindus in these countries. The bill was first introduced in 2016 and passed the Lower House in January but was stalled in the Upper House, where the government lacks a majority.

A top official said the bill was reworked by the Union home ministry after home minister Amit Shah held several rounds of negotiations with social groups, political groupings and representatives from the north-east.

After winning the second T20I against India, West Indies’ Hayden Walsh said that the top priority for him at the moment is winning the series. The visitors won the match by eight wickets against India and with this victory, they have levelled the three-match T20I series.

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Walsh picked two wickets in the match to restrict India to 170 runs which they later easily chased with the help of Lendl Simmons’ brilliant 67 not out.

“The main thing is to win the series and the whole goal and everything for me right now is winning the series and help the team to do their best,” Walsh said in the post-match press conference here on Sunday.

Compared to the Hyderabad ground, Walsh said that dew did not play much of a role in the second T20I, played at Greenfield International Stadium.

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“I do not think there was much of a dew factor tonight. I think knowing that we are going to bowl first and we have such a strong bowling team and once we do well, we would be able to restrict them to a good total,” he said.

The series decider between India and West Indies will be played on December 11.

Two commandoes of the Central Reserve Police Force’s elite CoBRA unit were injured in an IED blast allegedly triggered by Maoists in Jharkhand’s Ranchi district on Sunday, a day after the second phase of assembly elections were held, police said.

The commandoes identified as Pranay Das and Jignesh Choudhary, both 25, were injured in Ranchi’s Tamar constituency and brought to Medica hospital in the state capital by 9.30am.

According to the hospital bulletin, Das received a pelvic injury and his right leg was fractured in the blast. He was referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi in an air ambulance for better treatment.

Choudhary received a head injury and scan of his brain was done. Vital parameters of both the patients are stated to be stable, the bulletin said.

Ranchi’s superintendent of police (rural), Rishav Jha, said the attack took place at Peyakuli forest near Vijaygiri area around 7.30am when a team of the Commando Battalions for Resolute Action battalion was returning after conducting the polls on Saturday.

Police have sped up search operation after the incident and Jha said another team has been sent for a search operation in the place of incident.

However, Maoists have fled from the area after committing the incident, police sources said.

Maoists on Saturday had opened fire on the police during polling at Arki block in Khunti district under Tamar assembly constituency. Police also retaliated. Later, the Maoists fled from the area seeing the heavy deployment of the police force.

The left-wing extremists allegedly torched a school bus in Jojohatu under Chaibasa muffasil police station (PS) in Chaibasa assembly segment under West Singhbhum district on Saturday.

In another incident, Maoists took control of a bus in Goilkera block in West Singhbhum district which had gone to bring voters from four booths in Gamharia panchayat to their new relocated booths.

They also held hostage the village head in Pokhria under Badngoan block and stopped villagers from going to polling booths.

Defying the Maoists’ poll boycott call, voters turned up in huge number at every polling booth across the 20 assembly constituencies in the second phase.

The phase registered 64.80% polling. Tamar constituency, where the incident took place, recorded 68.11% polling on Saturday.

The next phase of polling will be held on December 12. The fifth and final phase will take place on December 20 and votes will be counted on December 23.

Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin hailed Nicholas Pooran’s impact with the bat after West Indies beat India in second T20I at Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. Kiereon Pollard’s troops battered the hosts by eight wickets to level the three-match series 1-1. India had earlied registered impressive six-wicket win in Hyderabad.

Also Read: Virat Kohli highlights reason for loss in 2nd T20I

After India put up a competitive score of 170/7 in 20 overs, Windies chased down the target with nine balls to spare. Lendl Simmons remains unbeaten on 67 while Evin Lewis, Shimron Heymyer and Nicholas Pooran also made handy contributions with the bat.

Following Windies’ win, Ashwin reserved special praise for Pooran, who slammed 38 off just 18 deliveries including four boundaries and two massive sixes. Pooran joined Simmons at a precarious time for visitors when they have lost the wicket of set Hetmyer.

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Pooran straightaway took the attack to Indian bowlers and didn’t let the hosts stage a comeback into the game. Ashwin lauded Pooran on social media and his post read: “This guy Pooran.. ( special ).”

Following India’s defeat, skipper Virat Kohli pinned the blame on India’s fielders, who were guilty of dropping crucial chances. While fielding, Washington Sundar at mid-off and Rishabh Pant behind the stumps dropped catches off successive deliveries from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Indian bowlers were taken to the cleaners by Windies batsmen.

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“If we field so poorly, no amount of runs will be enough. We were poor in the field during the last two games. We dropped two catches (Sundar and Pant) in one over. Imagine if they lost two in the same over that could have increased pressure,” he said.

“Everyone saw we need to be more brave in fielding. It’s a do-or-die game coming up in Mumbai.”

Young cricketer Shivam Dube repaid skipper Virat Kohli’s faith in sublime fashion after he was promoted to number three during the second T20I against West Indies at Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. Despite Dube’s stunning show with the bat, India succumbed to an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of reigning World T20 champions. Courtesy of this win, Kieron Pollard’s troops have levelled the three-match series 1-1.

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After India were sent to bat, opener KL Rahul perished soon and Kohli left everybody stunned as Dube made his way out on the crease. The stylish southpaw then slammed 54 off 30 deliveries, including three boundaries and four towering sixes. Not to forget three sixes in one Pollard over.

This was Dube’s maiden T20I fifty and courtesy of this scintillating innings, the southpaw has joined Robin Uthappa in a unique list. Dube became only the second Indian to score his made T20 fifty in T20 internationals. Before Dube, only Uthappa had achieved this unique feat.

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After the end of the match, Dube stated he was satisfied with his maiden half-century but wasn’t entirely happy as the result didn’t go India’s way.

“Really special for me because it is first 50 from my side to the Indian team. But not happy because winning the match is more important for me,” Dube said in the post-match press conference.

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“We dropped some catches but I think it is part of the match. We lost the match today but I think we will come back in the next match,” he added.

The third and final T20I will be played at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.