Modi-Shah’s decision to pass the CAA and extend NRC to the whole of India has provoked nationwide spontaneous protests. These are without any political leader and cut across communities led mainly by educated youth with equal participation of girls.

Instead of listening to the voices of youth, Modi has pitted his party machinery to counter them with its own version of support rallies for CAA-NRC.

Modi is also trying to convince through his intelligentsia that the CAA doesn’t violate Art. 14,15 or 21 because it doesn’t affect any of the citizens. How shallow is Modi’s intelligentsia!

It should know that Art. 14 and 21 speak about ‘person’ whereas Art. 15 speaks about ‘citizen.’

There is a hell of a difference between a person and a citizen when it comes to interpreting the law, more so when it is the ultimate law of the land, the Constitution.

CAA certainly affects all persons.

It is also not correct to presume that it doesn’t affect the citizens of India. Yes, directly may not be so. But, indirectly certainly they will do because the new immigrants will be claiming their share in the already scarce resources and jobs. If we cannot take care of our own citizens, why should we import more citizens?

But, irrespective of that we must understand why CAA has come into existence, in the first place.

Assam has a long demand and violent struggle to identify and send back illegal immigrants from the state. Assam Students Union even fought and won elections on that issue, still issue stayed stuck for various reasons.

Finally, Supreme Court mandated NRC which was carried out last year and some 19 lakh people have become illegal immigrants to be expelled.

The logical step for the govt was to expel them or settle them all as refugees and close the matter for Assam. The Supreme Court direction complied and the matter closed. But, Modi govt did not do that.

The NRC exercise itself in Assam was so horrendous that genuine citizens were made to prove their naturalization in the country by producing various documents about their ancestry. If it happens to anybody of us imagine what will be the case! None of your existing ID documents would be enough.

That’s why protests about NRC in Assam erupted after it declared even genuine citizens as illegal immigrants for the want of documents. One celebrated case is that of an ex-army man who had served in the Indian Army for thirty years. He was put in detention camp (jail) and only recently released after 11 days in jail on the grounds of ‘mistaken identity’!

The Modi govt did not close the matter of NRC for Assam because it saw a political opportunity, two ways.

One, getting sizable vote bank of Hindus, etc. by granting them citizenship, Two, expand agenda of Muslim hate and their persecution, thereby forcing communal polarization which has been winning elections for BJP.

The message stands conveyed to BJP’s constituencies. As a result, in a rally of supporters of CAA-NRC in Nagpur slogans were raised “Maro Jute Salon ko” [Beat the bastards with shoes].

To encash on this political opportunity, it was necessary to amend the Citizenship Act. But, such an amendment could not be made Assam specific. It had to be applicable to the whole of the country.

The CAA together with NRC for the whole of the country is a callous decision. Even when Modi ji had denied an extension of NRC to the whole of India, his cabinet has reportedly approved it. If that happens, believe me, each one of us will be busy proving our own citizenship. In Demonetization, we were busy first in depositing our ₹500 & ₹1000 notes in banks and later to withdraw it for more than two months.

Now, we will be running after govt offices to get documents of proof of our ancestry, like they had to do in Assam. What a callous exercise and disruption in civic life. To what end?

The youth is not misguided by any elderly political leader or opposition. They have their own aspirations separate of hate and communalism. What CAA wants to do?

Grant citizenship to all immigrants except Muslims who came to India before 31st December 2014 from Afghanistan, Pakistan or Bangladesh because of religious persecution.

How will it be proved that they have come because of religious persecution?

And, has religious persecution stopped after 2014?

Should we subject every resident in India to verification to identify a few illegal immigrants? Should we not learn from our experience of demonetisation about the futility of such sweeping disruptions and its impact on the economy?

Nation wide CAA-NRC will bring civic life to a standstill. It might render millions as illegal immigrants, with or without mistaken identity. What are we going to do with them?

Even mighty Trump of the USA could not build a wall across the Mexico border to stop infiltration. He couldn’t extract budget sanctions for it. Building of wall doesn’t disturb any body’s life. Still, it was seen unnecessary. Here we want to disturb the life of every body to tackle a few illegal immigrants! What a pity!

What calamity we Indians have invited on ourselves by electing such a power hungry, arrogant, insensitive lot!

Author – Harishchandra Sukhdeve