CAA, NPR and NRC
It is quite sometime that we have been a witness to public protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), National Population Register and National Register of Citizens. The creation of NRC is mandated under the Citizenship Act 1955, later amended in 2003. Citizenship (Amendment) Act enacted in 2019 provided citizenship to the displaced Hindu from the muslim dominated countries neighbouring India, like Afganistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The main argument is that these displaced Hindu people are persecuted in the muslim dominated countries for being Hindus, and have nowhere to go except India. In India, many have come over a period of time and are living in poor conditions, with little institutional suport. These refugees do not own any fixed assets. Furthermore, despite living in the dilapidated camps for more than three decades, they did not get Indian citizenship until now.
Everybody feels sympathy for these people including muslims like Asasuddin Owaisi, leader of AIMIM from Hyderbad. However, he feels that India being secular country, the citizenship (Amendment) Act should not be restrictive as to provide citizenship to only Hindus. Furthermore, combined with NRC, this Act will exclude muslims and other illiterates who do not have requisite documents to prove their citizenship and hence, these being non-Hindu can not claim citizenship under alternative route, CAA; unlike illiterate poor Hindus without requisite documents.
Protests against CAA, NPR and NRC are essentially protest against CAA, as NPR was conducted even before this BJP Govt came in to power in 2014. As far as NPR and NRC is concerned, it is provided for in the constitution under the Citizenship Act of 1951. Fears of extreme distress in the minds of people are due to turmoil that people in Assam have gone through in the last decade wherein NRC was conducted under the supervision of Supreme Court. Intervention of Supreme Court came in only after dithering on conducting proper citizenship surveys by the state Governments over the years, since Rajiv Gandhi signed an accord to identify immigrants. Assam has been protesting against illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and other states, changing its demographic structure for last four to five decades. Bangladeshi immigrants started coming in during and after Bangladesh war of independence in 1971.
People fear that the BJP Government will kickstart similar exercise all over the country to determine the citizenship, as every one will have to present his or her documents. As most illiterate and poor people do not have any documents to prove their birth or schooling or any institutional associations, these will undergo hardship. Furthermore, these people will be exploited a lot as they try to get their basic certificates like birth certicates, documents related to fixed assets etc.
Protests have fanned all over the country, some calling the CAA unconstitutional, others identifying it to divide the Indian society on religious lines.
Adding fuel to the fire, some non-BJP states too have passed resolutions in their state assemblies for rolling back CAA in view of its bias for only Hindu migrants.
Unfortunately, despite being Act passed through Parliament, some State Government are threatening to abstrain from implementing CAA or NRC, despite the fact that citizenship is not in their perview. In the past few years, we have been steadily witnessing this kind of disrespect to the institutions, whether these are of Government or of Judiciary.
Government on its part is duty-bound to act under the Citizenship Act 1951, amended in 2003 to prepared NPR and NRC, as it is provided under the constitution. It has maintained its studied silence to avoid further protests. As far as CAA is concerned, it is clear. It is not going back on CAA, despite protesters demanding rollback. Amit Shah yesterday in his rally in Lucknow ruled out any change in CAA.
As protests continue in different parts, the Government and the BJP, on their part are conducting campaigns to educate the people of objectives of CAA. It accusses opposition of its ill-intentions, fueling religious hatred and hindering communal harmony.
It is time that people do not play in to the politics of opposition, as these Acts are constitutionally provided for, and are not dictates of a Sultan.
Everybody feels sympathy for these people including muslims like Asasuddin Owaisi, leader of AIMIM from Hyderbad. However, he feels that India being secular country, the citizenship (Amendment) Act should not be restrictive as to provide citizenship to only Hindus. Furthermore, combined with NRC, this Act will exclude muslims and other illiterates who do not have requisite documents to prove their citizenship and hence, these being non-Hindu can not claim citizenship under alternative route, CAA; unlike illiterate poor Hindus without requisite documents.
Protests against CAA, NPR and NRC are essentially protest against CAA, as NPR was conducted even before this BJP Govt came in to power in 2014. As far as NPR and NRC is concerned, it is provided for in the constitution under the Citizenship Act of 1951. Fears of extreme distress in the minds of people are due to turmoil that people in Assam have gone through in the last decade wherein NRC was conducted under the supervision of Supreme Court. Intervention of Supreme Court came in only after dithering on conducting proper citizenship surveys by the state Governments over the years, since Rajiv Gandhi signed an accord to identify immigrants. Assam has been protesting against illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and other states, changing its demographic structure for last four to five decades. Bangladeshi immigrants started coming in during and after Bangladesh war of independence in 1971.
People fear that the BJP Government will kickstart similar exercise all over the country to determine the citizenship, as every one will have to present his or her documents. As most illiterate and poor people do not have any documents to prove their birth or schooling or any institutional associations, these will undergo hardship. Furthermore, these people will be exploited a lot as they try to get their basic certificates like birth certicates, documents related to fixed assets etc.
Protests have fanned all over the country, some calling the CAA unconstitutional, others identifying it to divide the Indian society on religious lines.
Adding fuel to the fire, some non-BJP states too have passed resolutions in their state assemblies for rolling back CAA in view of its bias for only Hindu migrants.
Unfortunately, despite being Act passed through Parliament, some State Government are threatening to abstrain from implementing CAA or NRC, despite the fact that citizenship is not in their perview. In the past few years, we have been steadily witnessing this kind of disrespect to the institutions, whether these are of Government or of Judiciary.
Government on its part is duty-bound to act under the Citizenship Act 1951, amended in 2003 to prepared NPR and NRC, as it is provided under the constitution. It has maintained its studied silence to avoid further protests. As far as CAA is concerned, it is clear. It is not going back on CAA, despite protesters demanding rollback. Amit Shah yesterday in his rally in Lucknow ruled out any change in CAA.
As protests continue in different parts, the Government and the BJP, on their part are conducting campaigns to educate the people of objectives of CAA. It accusses opposition of its ill-intentions, fueling religious hatred and hindering communal harmony.
It is time that people do not play in to the politics of opposition, as these Acts are constitutionally provided for, and are not dictates of a Sultan.
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