Reopening the wounds

Making the CAA a poll campaign plank will cause enormous damage to the social fabric

In an already polarised atmosphere, the row over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has resurfaced to dominate the political discourse in the poll-bound States of Assam, West Bengal and Kerala. This is bound to further deepen political polarisation. The debate has been rekindled by Union Home Minister Amit Shah who, during an election rally in West Bengal, said the NDA government would implement the new citizenship law once the Covid-19 vaccination programme was completed. Not surprisingly, there has been a strong pushback from the Opposition with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi saying his party, if voted to power in Assam, would not implement the CAA while Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said his government would never allow such a disaster in his State. If a contentious issue like the CAA becomes a poll campaign plank, it would cause enormous damage to the social fabric. The major problem with the new citizenship law is that religion has been introduced as a criterion, for the first time, in deciding the Indian citizenship. If the intention of the government was to offer refuge to persecuted minorities from neighbouring countries, then it could have been handled through a variety of administrative measures which do not require a new legislation. The refugees can be admitted and given certain benefits after determining their status on a case-to-case basis. It could be done within the framework of a comprehensive refugee policy.

The CAA-NRC combo has stirred anxieties among minorities that they could be unfairly targeted. It roiled politics across States, and sparked opposition from parties and civil society groups, especially in West Bengal and Assam. In Assam, the CAA was viewed as an avenue and recourse for non-Muslim immigrants left out of the NRC process to get citizenship. With the BJP leaders talking about implementing the NRC across India to throw out all illegal migrants, the issue has triggered widespread concerns and protests. The saffron party has now revived the issue to make it a key campaign plank in the poll-bound States. All the three States have a significant Muslim population. In both Assam and West Bengal, the BJP hopes to win over the Hindu migrant vote and benefit from religious polarisation while for the Congress, Trinamool Congress and the Left parties, the opposition to the CAA becomes key to retain the support among the Muslim minority. As a result of such a political polarisation, other pressing public issues will get short shrift. From a constitutional perspective, the Centre may have overriding powers when it comes to implementing laws on matters pertaining to citizenship but the CAA has lost its moral strength in view of the growing public concerns over its controversial provisions.

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