One of the most controversial acts in Indian history, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) came into effect from January 10, 2020. There have been widespread protests against the CAA in different parts of the country. The CAA aims to regularise citizenship of Hindu, Parsi, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain and Christian refugees who moved to India from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh before December 31, 2014. It prohibits Muslims from these countries to apply for the citizenship of India, making the public despise the new act
The prohibition for Muslims to get citizenship shows discrimination on religious grounds, and that stands at odds with the Indian constitution. Article 14 of the Indian constitution guarantees equality before the law and equal protection of law to every person in India. Therefore, with the passing of the CAA India is undermining its status as a democracy.
In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in response to periodic protests in Assam, vowed to expunge illegal infiltrators from Assam that had come from Bangladesh. Assam is the most affected region in India that has borne the brunt of people migrating from Bangladesh. The influx of immigrants created crises in Assam on many fronts: environmental degradation, an increase in the financial burden, and the issue of terrorism. To curb such complications, the Indian government of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promised the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for the Assamese since they have had that demand for many years.
The NRC requires every person in Assam to prove their citizenship right through documentary evidence. In this way, the NRC holds the potential to identify and expunge illegal migrants living in Assam. However, the daft move of the BJP in the form of CAA counterbalances the fruits of the NRC as the person identified as an illegal immigrant by the NRC can apply for Indian citizenship using the services of the CAA. That, once again, makes Assam vulnerable to migrants’ influx.
To worsen things further, the relevance of the NRC with the CAA has opened a Pandora’s box for Indians, especially Muslims. The NRC is a documented piece of evidence to prove Indian citizenship. Only individuals able to prove their citizenship, along with their descendants, will be included on the updated NRC list. The rest, who are unable to confirm, will end up in detention camps. Following this process, a person belonging to any religion except Muslims can apply for Indian citizenship by the courtesy of the CAA. In this way, Bangladeshi Muslims may end up in deportation, but the Bangladeshi Hindus will continue to stay in Assam.
Given all that, it appears that the irrational measure of the BJP-a blend of the CAA and the NRC-aims at clearing out Muslims. The USCIRF, in its 2019 Annual Report, has expressed its concern that the updated NRC in Assam is an intentional effort to discriminate Muslims. In India, Muslims are the subject of increasing violence and discrimination over the past few years under BJP. However, the stroke of the NRC with CAA has taken this discrimination to new heights.
Implementation of the CAA punctuated with the NRC is likely to hit India rigorously. Religious discrimination is the top product of the CAA, which is going to create an uproar in India. The new law holds the potential to polarise Indian communities, especially Hindus, against Muslims. The CAA will create mistrust between Muslims and Hindus by disturbing the fragile harmony between them. The duo of CAA and NRC is going to marginalise the lives and the number of Indian Muslims.
The invoking of the CAA and NRC has sparked violent protests across the country. India has witnessed nationwide protests since mid-December after the passage of the CAA that activists and opposition politicians have labelled as discriminatory and against the country’s secular constitution.
The motive of the BJP to embark on the exercise of the CAA and NRC is aimed at marginalising the Muslims of India
Additionally, the invoking of the CAA and NRC will wreck the relationship of India with Bangladesh. Assam is the epicentre of the whole game as it shares a border with Bangladesh. The deportation of the Bengali infiltrators back to Bangladesh will bring complications in the India-Bangladesh equation. A statement from Amit Shah, in which he berated Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh alike for persecuting minorities, has not been received well by Bangladesh.
The effects of the CAA will transform India into a theocratic state influenced by only the Hindu religion. S Sasikanth Senthil, former IAS officer, said, “By invoking the CAA and the NRC, the government is applying a rule of fascism in the country. They will create an illusionary world and people will fall prey to this fascism. Those raising voice against it will be portrayed as villains.”
The motive of the BJP to embark on the exercise of the CAA and NRC is aimed at marginalising the Muslims of India. The BJP claims to protect people from persecuted communities from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan, making it easier for them to apply for Indian citizenship. The BJP is of the view that Muslims are not facing religious persecution in other South Asian countries, and due to that reason, Muslims are not the beneficiary of the CAA. However, it is against the ideals of the Indian constitution to disregard any sect on a religious base. The BJP has an old aspiration to transform India into a Hindu Rashtra. To realise its dreams, the BJP is going to use the CAA as its tool.
The exercise of the CAA and NRC in India is a flawed game based on religious preferences. Through the act, the BJP government has showcased vengeful sentiments aimed at Muslims. Following the implementation of the act, religious freedom will experience a downward trend in India. The revocation of the Article 370 in Kashmir has harmed India’s reputation internationally. With another ill-advised move of the CAA, India is going to weaken itself internally, which will bring far-reaching implications on its integrity.
The writer is an electrical engineer who is also a CSS aspirant