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C A A – NO SCOPE FOR DOUBT
The enactment of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has triggered illogical protests in many parts of the country. In the Muslim-dominated areas in Delhi, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Mangalooru and some other parts of the country there have been particularly raucous protests. In the national capital following incidents of rioting & arson the police is said to have entered the Jamia Millia Islamia campus, allegedly beating indiscriminately those present there. This provoked widespread outrage with people questioning why the police had failed to seek prior permission before going in hot pursuit of rioters/arsonists. Subsequently it was learnt that the mischief-makers included outsiders who had joined the students in throwing stones at police from inside the collage premises including library. Protests also took place in parts of the old city in Delhi, Hyderabad and a few other places. Simultaneously university students in some parts of the country held protests in sympathy with the students of the Jamia Millia Islamia and in general to oppose the new Citizenship Amendment Act. Thus CAA has proved ‘controversial’. But anyone who cares to read the actual change in the law would be left wondering what all the fuss is about! For, it does not change even a wee-bit with the citizenship of those who are already living in India. Indian Muslims are not affected adversely in any way, unless it is their case that their co-religionists in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh too ought to be given the fast-track citizenship as is being now made available to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Christians and Buddhists. But, again, it is not as if members of these persecuted groups from these countries can acquire citizenship immediately. Only those already in India before December 2014 alone can seek the benefit of CAA provided they have been resident here for at least five years (as against eleven years for others). This is all. Why should that cause panic among Muslims? To gain political mileage, wicked people have given CAA a religious colour. Yes, Assamese-speaking people have reason to complain that instead of the earlier cut-off of 1971, CAA has made 2014 as the cut-off year, thereby giving illegal Bengali-Hindu migrants in Assam a relatively easy passage to acquire citizenship. That explains the widespread anger among the ethnic Assamese for fear that their language, their culture would be swamped by Bangladeshi-Hindus.
Besides, as Free Press Journal puts it “contrary to the misconception, there is no change in India’s obligation under the UN charter of refugees and it will continue to treat their application for asylum/citizenship as per the existing laws as before. Nor is there any change in the naturalization process for granting citizenship to members of all religions, including Hindus, whose origins lie in countries other than the three specifically listed in the CAA”. It may be, there are some who feel angry that religion should have been made specific for according fast-track citizenship to the persecuted people from these three countries. “If not religion, what else could distinguish the persecuted minorities of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh?” How it constitutes an attack on the secular character of the Constitution is beyond comprehension and defies commonsense. Surely, the race, ethnicity, etc could not be a ground for providing relief to the persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, etc when the sole reason for persecution lies in the stark fact that they are non-Muslims in avowedly Muslim countries. Probably where the Government erred was, in not properly communicating to people about the objectives and provisions of CAA before-hand. Government ought to have engaged the Assamese stakeholders in advance, allayed their doubts over the threat posed to their language, culture, etc.
Why Muslims should feel outraged over a law which does not touch them even remotely, defies reason. Or is it the agenda of opposition parties to incite sections of Indians to make life difficult to Narendra Modi led NDA at the centre!
Published in Public Interest by ISSUES & CONCERNS
Endorsed by -
1. Dr. N. Vinay Hegde, Chancellor, Nitte University
2. Prof. Dr. BM Hegde, Former Vice Chancellor, Manipal University
3. Prof. Dr. Shantaram Shetty, Chairman, Tejaswini Hospital & Research Centre
4. Vishal V Hegde, Pro-Chancellor, Nitte University
5. Prof. Dr. Ravindranath Shanbhag, Human Rights Foundation, Udupi, Karnataka
6. Prof. Dr. Devadas Hegde, Consultant General Surgeon
7. Prof. Dr. Satish Rao, HOD Department of Psychiatry, KSHEMA
8. Nigel Albuquerque, Social Activist
9. Robert Rosario, Social Activist
10. Jayaram Shriyan, Freelance Journalist & Activist
The enactment of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has triggered illogical protests in many parts of the country. In the Muslim-dominated areas in Delhi, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Mangalooru and some other parts of the country there have been particularly raucous protests. In the national capital following incidents of rioting & arson the police is said to have entered the Jamia Millia Islamia campus, allegedly beating indiscriminately those present there. This provoked widespread outrage with people questioning why the police had failed to seek prior permission before going in hot pursuit of rioters/arsonists. Subsequently it was learnt that the mischief-makers included outsiders who had joined the students in throwing stones at police from inside the collage premises including library. Protests also took place in parts of the old city in Delhi, Hyderabad and a few other places. Simultaneously university students in some parts of the country held protests in sympathy with the students of the Jamia Millia Islamia and in general to oppose the new Citizenship Amendment Act. Thus CAA has proved ‘controversial’. But anyone who cares to read the actual change in the law would be left wondering what all the fuss is about! For, it does not change even a wee-bit with the citizenship of those who are already living in India. Indian Muslims are not affected adversely in any way, unless it is their case that their co-religionists in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh too ought to be given the fast-track citizenship as is being now made available to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Christians and Buddhists. But, again, it is not as if members of these persecuted groups from these countries can acquire citizenship immediately. Only those already in India before December 2014 alone can seek the benefit of CAA provided they have been resident here for at least five years (as against eleven years for others). This is all. Why should that cause panic among Muslims? To gain political mileage, wicked people have given CAA a religious colour. Yes, Assamese-speaking people have reason to complain that instead of the earlier cut-off of 1971, CAA has made 2014 as the cut-off year, thereby giving illegal Bengali-Hindu migrants in Assam a relatively easy passage to acquire citizenship. That explains the widespread anger among the ethnic Assamese for fear that their language, their culture would be swamped by Bangladeshi-Hindus.
Besides, as Free Press Journal puts it “contrary to the misconception, there is no change in India’s obligation under the UN charter of refugees and it will continue to treat their application for asylum/citizenship as per the existing laws as before. Nor is there any change in the naturalization process for granting citizenship to members of all religions, including Hindus, whose origins lie in countries other than the three specifically listed in the CAA”. It may be, there are some who feel angry that religion should have been made specific for according fast-track citizenship to the persecuted people from these three countries. “If not religion, what else could distinguish the persecuted minorities of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh?” How it constitutes an attack on the secular character of the Constitution is beyond comprehension and defies commonsense. Surely, the race, ethnicity, etc could not be a ground for providing relief to the persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, etc when the sole reason for persecution lies in the stark fact that they are non-Muslims in avowedly Muslim countries. Probably where the Government erred was, in not properly communicating to people about the objectives and provisions of CAA before-hand. Government ought to have engaged the Assamese stakeholders in advance, allayed their doubts over the threat posed to their language, culture, etc.
Why Muslims should feel outraged over a law which does not touch them even remotely, defies reason. Or is it the agenda of opposition parties to incite sections of Indians to make life difficult to Narendra Modi led NDA at the centre!
Published in Public Interest by ISSUES & CONCERNS
Endorsed by -
1. Dr. N. Vinay Hegde, Chancellor, Nitte University
2. Prof. Dr. BM Hegde, Former Vice Chancellor, Manipal University
3. Prof. Dr. Shantaram Shetty, Chairman, Tejaswini Hospital & Research Centre
4. Vishal V Hegde, Pro-Chancellor, Nitte University
5. Prof. Dr. Ravindranath Shanbhag, Human Rights Foundation, Udupi, Karnataka
6. Prof. Dr. Devadas Hegde, Consultant General Surgeon
7. Prof. Dr. Satish Rao, HOD Department of Psychiatry, KSHEMA
8. Nigel Albuquerque, Social Activist
9. Robert Rosario, Social Activist
10. Jayaram Shriyan, Freelance Journalist & Activist
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