The Indian Home Ministry has notified the enforcement of the notorious citizenship law, passed in December 2019, prior to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The divisive bill, passed by the Modi government, grants Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from neighboring countries, primarily Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, provided they have resided in India for six years and entered the country before December 31, 2014. Currently under scrutiny by the Supreme Court, the law is regarded as a threat to the secular principles of the so-called world’s largest democracy, particularly in a nation grappling with rising Islamophobia and home to 200 million Muslims.
The promise to implement the controversial CAA law was a major vote-getter for the BJP in the previous general election. “It was an integral part of the BJP’s 2019 (election) manifesto. This will pave the way for the persecuted to find citizenship in India,” a BJP spokesperson told Reuters news agency on Monday.
Over 100 individuals lost their lives due to state-perpetrated violence during anti-CAA protests and indiscriminate police action. The contentious law drew global criticism. Right-wing party leaders viewed the law as a viable factor in the election.
The opposition alleges that the timing of notifying the rules is clearly designed to polarize the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, particularly in West Bengal and Assam.
Parliament member Asaduddin Owaisi responded, “CAA is divisive and based on Godse’s thought that wanted to reduce Muslims to second-class citizens.”
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that the announcement was an attempt to “manage the headlines” after the Supreme Court’s strict order on electoral bonds.
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan addressed the CAA as an act that treats Muslim minorities as second-class citizens, stating that Kerala opposes this communal divisive law and will not implement it in the state.
The government fears anti-CAA protests, and security has been reinforced in areas where such demonstrations were held in the past, like Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Millia.
