The contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was tabled in Rajya Sabha by Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday after it was passed in Lok Sabha amid protests from the opposition and a seven-hour long heated debate.
If the Bill is passed by the Rajya Sabha, it will need the President's nod to become a law.
The BJP seemed confident that the Bill will be passed in the Rajya Sabha.
"The government is 100 per cent sure that Citizenship Bill will be pass in Rajya Sabha," said Union Minister Prahlad Joshi ahead of tabling of the Bill.
The Bill seeks to amend the Citizenship Act of 1955 to allow non-Muslim refugees from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan to become Indian citizens if they leave their country facing religious persecution.
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"Today Rajya Sabha is discussing CAB. It would be interesting to see how parties who claim to oppose BJP/RSS Ideology vote. Walk Out would be the easiest way to support Modi Shah," tweeted Digvijaya Singh, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP, on Wednesday.
The Congress leader urged the Janata Dal-United (JDU) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) to reconsider their support to the Bill as it is tabled in the Upper House of the Parliament.
The Bill was passed with a majority of 311 votes against 80 in the Lower House where 391 members were present and voted on Monday.
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In the 245-member Rajya Sabha, the halfway mark is currently 121 as five seats are vacant, bringing down the strength of the House to 240.
The draft law has sparked protests across India and especially in the North East where people are worried about foreigners settling in their lands and changing the indigenous demography and culture.
Thousands of academics, intellectuals and activists have openly opposed the bill.
