At long last

 

 

 

 

 

THE Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that attracted so much opposition and kicked up national controversy has finally begun getting implemented -- long after its rules were notified. The Government has started issuing certificates under the CAA to people found fit for citizenship of India -- of course from the neighbouring countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain and Parsi communities. Despite the tough and politically-motivated opposition to the new law, the Government finally succeeded in getting the law implemented. This should be considered as a very major step forward in the domain of governance offering just protection to the harassed people from certain countries and communities on grounds of their caste or creed or religion. Thanks to its strong political will at the top, the Government was able to withstand the pressure from a combined Opposition. Its logic on the issue has been clean and clear of any political manipulation and machination. No matter the big noise the Opposition made on the issue, the Government stayed firm and allowed much political dust to settle before actually implementing the new law.

 

The most vociferous point in the Opposition logic was that the Government led by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi was making a clear and open (read ‘shameless’) allegation that an undue favour was being bestowed on certain communities -- including the majority Hindu community -- at the cost of the people from Muslim community. This objection had no logic in any manner. Yet, the Opposition pushed the extremely politicised narrative to an illogical but obstinate end. That, of course, served no purpose as the Government was firm on its intent -- unlike the three new legislations as regards agriculture. That is the reason why the CAA is now operational in the country and will serve a great purpose of assuring the minorities in neighbouring countries of protection in India not on the asylum basis but on the citizenship basis. In other words, through this legislation’s implementation, India wishes to to communicate to the world that it is a homeland of certain people who will get protection in the land and the larger Indian society fully legally and constitutionally. This is positive governance and a major step forward to the greater idea of justice to all on equal basis.

 

It is common and factual knowledge that minority communities in countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, the numbers of minority communities have depleted to shocking levels in the past few decades in percentages and absolute numbers -- thanks to the atrocities majority community has heaped on them almost under official patronage. For such people who have nowhere to go, India must act as homeland and offer them shelter with full honour of constitutional sanction. Hence the CAA. The CAA -- as the whole country knows -- has its origin in the conditions created by the bloody Partition of India in 1947. People from all communities made their choices about where to continue living or shift to either India or Pakistan. In India, the minority communities got complete accommodation since India was homeland -- or motherland (which they do not wish to recognise). In most other countries, the minorities got the roughest possible treatment, so much so that their numbers depleted to shockingly low levels -- in the process generating an outcry for justice and protection from the members of minorities in different countries other than India. Thankfully, with the CAA, all those problems will get sorted out amicably and honourably.