CAA: A new religious direction for India
Citizenship in any country is a matter of great importance as it determines who the country is really identifying as its own. India has long prided itself in providing citizenship to Indian nationals only and seldom have been cases where migrants have got an opportunity to transition from their migrant status to an Indian citizen status. 11th March 2024 was a defining moment as the Citizenship (amendment) Act of 2019 was announced to be implemented before the Lok Sabha elections in India. This has caused a huge furor amongst the public and is also an indicative of where the country is headed from a religious perspective.
Before heading into its impact, let’s understand what Citizenship (Amendment) Act is. The CAA intends to provide a path to citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis who migrated from neighbouring Muslim-majority countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, before December 31, 2014. The logic behind including some religions lies behind their minority presence and fear of persecution in these countries. It is worth noticing that Muslims, Jews and Parsos have been completely excluded and migrants from only 3 countries have been included. Such noticeable misses indicate that there is an ulterior motive behind this act, and it could pave the direction for the next decade and future of India.
What is wrong with CAA?
1. Muslims, Jews and Parsis excluded: While a lot of religious minorities have been included, 3 sections of society, the Muslims, Jews and Parsis have been completely excluded. There are certain sections of Muslims who are minorities in these countries while Jews and Parsis from Israel and Iran who have been in India for ages do not deserve the right to be the citizens despite contributing manifolds to the economy.
2. Where is Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar? Only 3 countries were included in the act and other neighboring countries of India were completely excluded. So, a Buddhist coming from Bhutan has no chance of becoming a citizen in India.
3. Kids born post 2014 cannot become citizens so soon: The children who were born after 2014 and then migrated to India do not stand a chance in the present act to become citizens in the future. The vagueness of the timeline makes it impossible to predict when they can become Indian citizens.
While there are so many flaws, what is the strategic importance of this act in the context of elections and future of India?
1. Penetrate Assam and West Bengal: West Bengal is a territory that has not been conquered by the BJP and this act work in favor of multitudes of migrants who have come from Bangladesh. This will help them increase their vote share and place BJP well among the regional players who have been opposing the CAA nationally.
2. The next decade plan: The Hindutva plan is very much on, and the next decade could see India become an even more Hindutva driven nation. This act is a means to establish dominance of the majority and ensure that the decade long plan of BJP stays on track.
There can be multiple pros and cons to this act, but the prominent flaws need to be ironed out before putting it into action. Bringing more inclusivity across religions and including more countries in scope will allow this act to be just and garner support across the countries.
