The address to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Ramlila Maidan on Sunday was noted, in the main, for the connect he sought to build with those protesting against the new Citizenship Act. Clearly, he promised — for the first time from the horse’s mouth – that “no Muslim born in this country will be affected,” by the new parliamentary legislation (CAA) as also the National Register of Citizens (NRC). This should, in part, be a reassurance to the minorities. At the same time, the fears in their minds work at an altogether different level.
What the Prime Minister has stated is by and large known to those who have taken even a cursory glance at the CAA or the NRC. Most of the provisions are reasonably accommodative and well-crafted. But, it is also clear that the processes are not easy to be faced at the ground level. Local officials scouting around to fix the illegal migrants can be depended on to create a nightmare to the hapless ordinary folks –mostly, if not fully, Muslims. If this matter is handled with a certain amount of kindness and a fair understanding of the situation, it would make a world of difference. But, the creepy Indian babus cannot be expected to be fair or reasonable. This here is the central issue. “CAA and NPR are on their way to harass and hound out large numbers of Muslims.” That is the reigning fear. The PM has not touched on this aspect.
It must be reiterated that illegal migrants have no right to demand or claim citizenship. A governmental effort to identify them, accommodate those who stayed here for long and send back others depending on a reasonable time-frame are in the fitness of things. What however accentuates the problem are the openly “discriminatory” nature of the legislation and the BJP and the Sangh Parivar’s track record of needling the minorities. At the same time, the Left and some regional outfits like the JDU and RJD in Bihar as also the TMC in West Bengal are principally and blatantly eyeing the minority vote bank and, in the process, might add fuel to the fire. How far they can go is also worth a watch.
The PM’s stress that his government’s welfare schemes, for instance, had not been implemented based on sectarian considerations, must be acknowledged and appreciated. The citizenship issue is altogether a different matter. He would do well to see how the whole exercise can be simplified or even thrown out altogether in the light of how poorly its is being received across the country.