Joint Parliamentary Committee on Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to discuss draft report on November 20

Guwahati: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 will submit draft report to the committee on November 20.

Congress Rajya sabha MP and a JPC member Bhubaneswar Kalita told ET, “The draft report will be discussed on November 20. Till now I am yet to get the draft report. Normally such reports are circulated couple of days ahead of the meeting. May be because of the Saturday and Sunday the reports were not circulated. May be I get the same on Monday.”

A member of the committed, who do not want to be named said that some members have suggested taking Bangladesh out of the purview of the Bill. JPC Chairman Rajendra Agrawal had sought opinion of the individual members of the JPC on the Bill before the committee takes a final view.


The bill aimed at making minority communities such as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan eligible for applying for Indian citizenship is under the consideration of Joint parliamentary committee of both the Houses.

Assam is witnessing series of protest against the bill.Some organisations in Bengali dominated Barak valley are supporting the bill.

Assam police has found that banned militant outfit, Anti talk faction of ULFA is using the public sentiment against the Citizenship (Amendment) bill 2016 to bolster its cadre strength.

Several youths are disappearing and moving to militants’ camps. Recently Munna Baruah, the nephew of Anti talk ULFA’s commander in Chief Paresh Baruah has joined the outfit.

Union Home minister Rajnath Singh, National security adviser Ajit Doval, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal discussed the National Register of citizens (NRC)and citizenship bill in New Delhi on Saturday.