PRABHAKAR TIMBLE
The controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the dreaded National Register of Citizens (NRC) have put the nation on fire. Both are pervert games of rewriting the progressive national agenda of livelihood, economic growth and social equity by superimposing citizenship and nationalism as key drivers of the nation’s security and prosperity. Both these are destined to put an already peaceful, secular, growing nation and its harmonious society on fire to serve the communal, undemocratic and unconstitutional agenda of the right-wing forces sought to be justified by raising the bogey of religious persecution and nationalism.
CAA brings in religion as the dominant criteria in citizenship and also relegates Muslims to the position of “unwanted” citizens. Right now, this criterion is for migrants from India’s Islamic neighbours and not for current citizens. The BJP has succeeded in providing a vicarious pleasure to the right-wing brigade and such actions would appease the proponents of Hindu Rashtra masquerading as patriots (“Desh Premi”) that the Muslim minority is taught a lesson. With NRC for the entire country despite the disaster in Assam, the threat is for all to prove and confirm citizenship. It is a self-invited pain in the neck for all Indians to prove citizenship beyond doubt before the designated registering authority. Apart from resulting in a colossal waste of public funds as budgetary resources get locked for the NRC, all the citizens will be on tenterhooks till their name is entered on the sacred Register as proof of belonging to India. It’s added insecurity for the underprivileged sections, more specifically, the SC/ST/homeless and around 40 per cent of India’s poor to engage legal professionals for the desired documentation and get through the bureaucrats for that final sigh of relief. These are good days for the official police machinery to exhibit their clout and for the private policing by the ‘parivar’. They can now turn their guns on helpless and clueless citizens. Earlier, their compass was restricted to beef traders and consumers.
The question is not whether the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will affect or be neutral to Goa and Goans. This would be viewing it from a very narrow and insignificant perspective. The question is not of existing Muslim citizens of India and that their interests are well protected and in no way jeopardized. It is not a fear of losing citizenship. The question is also not of natives getting marginalized in Assam and NE states due to immigration from the borders, though their opposition is for the same reason. The real issue is that all immigrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh would stand eligible for citizenship except Muslims since the law is enacted accordingly. None has put it so straight and succinctly as Nobel Laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan: “The point is that it makes 200 million Muslims feel as if somehow their religion is not as valid or as Indian as the others. That’s not a good recipe for harmony”. Almost a similar kind of motion which was moved in the Constituent Assembly (1949) whilst framing the provision in respect of citizenship was negatived being absurd. The motion was to provide citizenship for Hindus and Sikhs wherever born and whenever required.
The CAA by making religion as the base renders the classification unreasonable, unfair and unjust. What India has earned as a secular constitutional democracy over the years gets erased. Multi-lingual, multi-cultural, multi-religious India, as a special brand of liberal democracy gets expunged. Such patent discrimination is an expression of contempt for the principles and values cherished by Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, Ambedkar and the founding fathers of the Indian Constitution.
Among the fundamental rights enshrined, the right to property turned out to be the weakest of all with the passage of time. This dilution was brought about by Parliament through land reforms and tenancy legislation. The Indian judiciary through a harmonious interpretation of the fundamental right to property along with the directive principles of state policy read with the Preamble brought about the desired and welcome change. Today, it looks that the basic inalienable rights of free expression, personal liberty, privacy and freedom of religion are sought to be made weak by the Executive. Peaceful protests are curbed under the assumption that they would turn violent. Blanket imposition of Section 144 is seen throughout the State even if protests are in specified pockets. Protestors are detained, arrested and jailed. Internet and communication shutdowns are frequent. The Personal Data Protection Bill aims to provide unbridled power to the government. The Supreme Court is somehow reluctant to come to the rescue of the citizens. This is making the basic fundamental freedoms the weakest chapter of the Indian constitution.
After the Ayodhya verdict brought the Mandir-Masjid conflict to a conclusion, the BJP has played the two new cards -- CAA and NRC -- to rekindle discord and division. We once again hear the drums of protagonists as nationalists, patriots, true Hindus and Indians. Those who protest are grouped as Pakistani, anti-Hindu and anti-national. The BJP followers will never question, their youth and student force are groomed for the one-way traffic of following instructions. The BJP intention is to retain and consolidate the political advantage by polarizing the Hindus.
India’s hope against this assault on the ‘basic structure’ of the Constitution is in the student and youth power which is battling all the odds. No other political party manifesto even within the NDA has made such promises which subvert the fundamental law of the country. So, there is hope in the combined political opposition including those who are part of NDA today. International pressure and diplomatic setbacks would manifest through foreign governments and foreign investors. The optimism in respect of the current Indian judiciary is running at a sharp discount. The people of India will have to give the temporary answer through the Satyagraha and an effective counter through the ballot.
