Indian Lok Sabah (lower house of Indian parliament) has passed Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAP) which has successfully pushed India from secular to Hindu nationalist country. The amendment is one among the series of constitutional changes that BJP government has made as what seems to be an attempt to “marginalize the Indian muslims”.
What Is India’s Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019
Controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill proposes to determine the citizenship of immigrants on the basis of religion. It allows religious minorities fleeing from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan to seek citizenship in India. These minorities inlcude Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Christians, Parsis and Budhists.
The bill which has been passed after majority of BJP dominant Lok Sabah has voted in its favor is being heavily bashed for its anti-muslim nature. Critics are equating it to repeating the history of 1947 when India was divided on religious lines.
The Bill is yet to be passed by Rajia Sabah (Upper House) of Indian parliament where BJP the ruling party which proposed it is not in majority.
Why Bill is Facing Criticism?
CAP is facing opposition for deliberately excluding Muslims and deciding citizenship of the immigrants on the basis of religion making India not a secular country anymore.
BJP government claims that law was not aimed at marginalising muslims but it didn’t include them as they were not being persecuted in the said countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan) on the basis of religion. Well, critics argue that if this is so then why Indian government didn’t offer citizenship to persecuted Muslim minority in China Is it only because China is a bigger country or BJP government is aware of the fact that India is not a safe country for Muslims.
Briefly, CAP is a clear evidence of BJP’s staunch efforts to convert India to a Hindu Nationalist country.
How the Law Will Affect Indian Muslims?
Contrary to the BJP government’s claims the bill will not only marginalize Muslims in India but also jeopardize their citizenship in states like Assam which is hub to many Muslim immigrants.
It is to be noted that Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 has come in time when NCR (National Citizenship Register) has reportedly made almost 2 million Muslims in Assam stateless only because they were unable to prove their Indian ancestry through documents. The bill under the guise of protecting non-Muslim minorities in Muslim counrties will give India an excuse to persecute its Muslim minority in Assam.
The year 2019 has indeed indeed debunked India’s disregard for secular ethos. Earlier it was revocation of Article 370 to end autonomous status of Indian-held Kashmir, then what is said to be biased Babri Masjid verdict of Indian supreme court and now this Citizenship Amendment Bill making lives of Muslims more miserable in what is growingly becoming a Hindu Nationalist India.
