India Implements Controversial Citizenship Bill

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India has announced the implementation of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which excludes Muslims. The rules were disclosed by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday, ahead of the country’s forthcoming general election. The announcement comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks an unusual third term in power.

Citizenship Fast-Track for Non-Muslim Immigrants

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act offers a fast-track route to citizenship for immigrants hailing from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, provided they are non-Muslims. The law applies to religious minorities persecuted on religious grounds, including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians. Though the bill was passed by India’s parliament in 2019, it could not be enacted until the rules were declared.

Opposition and Protests Against the Bill

The bill, despite being endorsed by Modi, a Hindu nationalist, sparked vigorous protests from opposition parties. They contended that the bill was unconstitutional and marginalized India’s Muslim population, which is around 200 million.

The Indian Home Minister, Amit Shah, lauded Modi, stating that he “delivered on another commitment and realized the promise of the makers of our constitution to the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians living in those countries”.

Critics Allege Hindu Nationalist Agenda

Critics assert that the bill is another example of Modi and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) imposing a Hindu nationalist agenda on secular India, home to 1.3 billion people. They argue that this is at the expense of the Muslim population.

The BJP is rooted in India’s Hindu right-wing movement, many followers of which view India as a Hindu nation. Critics suggest that since Modi’s rise to power almost a decade ago, the secular and democratic founding ethos of the world’s largest democracy is eroding quickly. They argue that minorities feel persecuted under the BJP’s majoritarian policies and that any criticism of the government faces censorship and punishment.

Tensions and Religious Divisions

The announcement of the bill’s implementation follows the demolition of two mosques in the states of Uttarakhand and Delhi, which led to clashes and local curfews. In January, Modi inaugurated a large Hindu temple on the site of a 16th-century mosque that was razed by Hindu hardliners over three decades ago. The opening of the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya, celebrated by many Hindus, served as a painful reminder to the country’s Muslim minority of the growing religious divisions under Modi’s rule.