CAA cut-off date extended, persecuted minorities who came by 2024 can stay on
Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists,
.... Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who entered India on or before December 31, 2024 will be allowed to stay in India.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) - passed by Parliament in Dec 219 and which came into force last year (2024), now members of these persecuted minorities who came to India on or before December 31, 2014, will be granted Indian citizenship.
The significant order, issued under the just-implemented Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, will come as a relief to a large number of people, especially Hindus from Pakistan, who crossed over to India after 2014 and were worried about their fate.
It is estimated that a large number of Hindus had to flee Bangladesh after radicals and a grossly anti-India and anti-Hindu dispensation took charge in Bangladesh after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina regime.
"A person belonging to a minority community in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan -- Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians -- who were compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution or fear of religious persecution and entered the country on or before December 31, 2024 without valid documents, including a passport or other travel documents, or with valid documents, including a passport or other travel documents, and the validity of such documents have expired" will be exempted from the rule of possessing a valid passport and visa.
The order was by the Union Home Ministry.
In 2019 and especially Jan-Feb 2020; a theory was circulated that the new Citizenship Act will virtually ‘justify’ influx of Bengali Hindus from Bangladesh and would add to the BJP's and the Prime Minister ‘s vote-share in Assam, possibly in other northeastern states and especially in West Bengal.
The CAA as law (when enacted in 219-20) was said to have been described as 'controversial' from the word go.
But BJP leaders such as Kailash Vijayvargiya ( who was in-charge of West Bengal BJP) said it was 'controversial' for the BJP detractors only for political reasons.
It was challenged as it made things easier for non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan - all three Muslim dominated countries - to secure Indian citizenship.
It does not hamper or throw a challenge to citizenship to any bonafide Indian including Muslims.
The politics around CAA was and is interesting and a bit complex.
Although the new law has been enacted by the BJP-led Modi government and it is likely to yield electoral dividends to the saffron party in West Bengal; in another state - Assam - there is a sizable section of BJP leaders and others who are steadfastly opposed to the new law.
This peculiarity is because of local political conditions.
Assam has witnessed protest and often violent politics over the issue of infiltration of 'illegal Muslims' from neighbouring Bangladesh.
However, from time to time there are also controversies over the alleged influx
of 'Hindus' from Bangladesh.
Of course, the new law has been opposed vehemently by Muslim organisations, opposition parties including the Congress and the communists and the student bodies in north east.
In large part of India including in and around national capital New Delhi, while the law is largely being opposed for its 'anti-Muslim' slant; in Assam essentially the new law CAA was seen as a threat to the culture and identity of the indigenous people of the state and the rest of North East India.
In fact, in Assam five persons died at the peak of the anti-CAA protest on December 12, 2019.
In terms of electoral battle in West Bengal, BJP's chief rival will be Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, which is already accused of being pro-Muslim.
Mamata earlier put up bravado that her party will never implement the new central/federal law. This is not feasible as any central law works automatically in all states in India.
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and a controversial citizenship register called the National Register are the two tipping points vis-a-vis Modi government's alleged failures to ensure protection and equal rights to religious minorities including Christians and Muslims.
The old debates may revive yet again.
No comments:
Post a Comment