The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was today passed in Lok Sabha. Tabling the controversial Bill, Union Home Minister Amit Shah defended the exclusion of Muslims from it, saying that if any Muslim from Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Bangladesh applies for citizenship according to the Indian law, "then we will consider it, but the person won't get benefit of this Amendment, as he or she has not faced religious persecution".

Amit Shah said that the Bill is needed today as, at the time of Independence, the Congress party had allowed partition on the basis of religion. "The Congress did partition on the basis of religion," he repeated.

"In Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians, Parsis and Jains have been discriminated against. So this bill will give these persecuted people citizenship. Also, the allegation that this bill will take away the rights of Muslims is wrong," Shah added.