Exactly three months ago, on December 11, India’s parliament passed the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act. This, for the first time, ...
Exactly three months ago, on December 11, India’s parliament passed the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act. This, for the first time, introduced a religious element to India’s citizenship law. The legislation allowed so-called illegal migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to apply for Indian citizenship – as long as they were not Muslim.
This law was even more controversial given the fact that leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party said that it would work in tandem with a proposed National Register of Indian Citizens. By linking the two, the BJP intended to convey that only Muslims would be targeted by an NRC.
The Citizenship Amendment Act sparked off massive protests, international condemnation and large-scale chaos. Yet, the BJP has been steadfast in that it will not roll back the law. Despite being so adamant, three months after the act was passed, the Modi government is yet to begin the process of implementing the legislation on the ground. The rules to the CAA – guidelines on how the legislation will be implemented – are yet to be notified by the Union government.
What explains this delay for a law so core to the BJP’s current politics?
Sweeping protests
The CAA catalysed among Muslims that they could be rendered statelessness, leading to massive protests....
