Letters to the Editor: CAA Implementation

CAA implementation

Eventually, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rules were announced.  This law was approved by Parliament in December 2019. One explanation for the delay in enacting this law appears to be its widespread opposition. This protest was the result of malicious propaganda claiming that if this law is adopted, the citizenship of the country's Muslims will be jeopardized. This propaganda was carried out not only by members of so-called civil society but also by numerous political parties. They were purposely aggravating the Muslim community by bringing it to the streets, despite the fact that this law has nothing to do with any Indian person.

Actually, this law grants citizenship to minorities who were persecuted for their religion in Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Bangladesh and who arrived in India before 2014. It is true that Afghanistan is almost devoid of Hindus and Sikhs, while Hindus, Sikhs, and other minorities face severe persecution in Pakistan and Bangladesh. They are fighting a losing battle to save their lives. They have no choice but to die, flee, or adopt Islam, even if they do not want it. It is imperative that, even after 2014, consideration be given to providing relief to tormented people who fled to India after being looted in three adjacent nations.

Those who agitate people against the CAA's implementation should face severe consequences. Any demonstration, such as Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, should not be condoned. At the same time, political parties should be chastised for attempting to gain political advantage and encourage violence under the guise of opposing this law. The fact that certain state governments passed resolutions against the Citizenship Amendment Act in the Assembly demonstrates how some political parties engaged in petty politics about it. Due to cheap and corrupt vote bank politics, this operation was purposefully done against the federal framework, despite the fact that state governments had no responsibility in giving citizenship.

Abhijit Roy

(abhijitroytatanagar@gmail.com)