The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) passed in both the Houses of Parliament (by Dec 11, 2019) comfortably. It became a law (the President of India ratified) i.e. Citizenship Amendment Act (C.A.A), the very next day. Even if it goes to courts, for a challenge, the cases against it may not stand legally as per former Solicitor General Harish Salve. According to Salve (the most prominent legal luminary) that the Bill doesn’t violate Article 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution of India. All the opposition parties that opposed the Bill in the Rajya Sabha quoted those articles in breach, knowing well that their case is weak.
Arguments like: ‘morality versus majority’ (in passing the CAB) – holier than thou argument – articulated by the Trinmool MP in the opposition camp – does not stick to this government. It’s agreed, in a pluralistic country like India or any other democracy for that matter in the world, with multi – religious or multi-ethnic groups- unanimity is needed rather than a majority in passing a Bill. That never seems to be the case in India. Right from the days of independence, the Congress ruled the country and carved minority vote-bank (specially the Muslim) for itself. Since the regional parties outsmarted the Congress in wooing the very same vote- bank, the Congress is now devoid of its privileged vote-bank. Its heckling on the CAB, signals the party’s eagerness, to get back, what it had foregone to the regional parties i.e. minority Muslim vote-bank. After all, the Congress is a political party. It has every right to do what it wants. But why hiding behind the secular mask and the constitution of India?
Many T.V anchors keep asking, why this CAB (or for that matter abrogation of Article-370 and others initiatives of governance), the government has not discussed with the opposition? Specially, in our country, it is difficult to arrive at a consensus with them. Unanimity is a wild-goose-chase! With what kind of unanimity did the Congress pass the Shah Bano Amendment Bill? With its brute majority the Congress party wanted to pander one community to garner votes. Though passed by a majority in Rajiv Gandhi cabinet, it was never accepted in principle and tolerated by the people of the country. Now, by opposing this CAB, the Congress is trying to consolidate its vote-bank which it has lost in the interim to other secular parties. The Congress always divided the Hindus on caste-basis and consolidated the Muslims to its advantage. Hence, the Congress lost its moral right to ask any query on the CAB.
The principled stand of the BJP: Right from the beginning, the BJP had taken a position different from that of the other parties i.e. to distinguish, who are refugees and who are immigrants, from those coming from neighbouring countries. Whereas, the Congress allowed all kinds of migrants and made them its vote-bank. On the CAB, one of the prominent Congress leaders, while speaking to an English TV channel (to be specific, former finance minister P. Chidambaram to India Today channel) said: ‘Migrations do happen in many countries of the world. People go wherever there are greener pastures. How does a cow that eats grass in Bangladesh know the boundary between that country and India for it to eat grass?’ Such absurd comparisons are not questioned by the secular anchors! As matter of fact, there are countries, there are rules. Humans have to follow those rules. Otherwise, they are dubbed as illegal immigrants. There is a difference between an animal and a human. For, humans’ brain is more evolved, the ex-minister of the Congress should know.
The people from India are not going to the neighbouring Bangladesh or Pakistan, the way those countries’ people are migrating to India. Would they allow Hindus to migrate? Haven’t seen or heard. Why is this, only one-sided immigration? If the Congress party is so sympathetic to migrant Muslims (to get included in the CAB), it’s an anti-national move, by the party. For, years together, since Independence, Hindus in India have been observing family planning to curb population explosion in India. Inclusion of vast Muslim immigrants, as sought by the Congress, would only be a disservice to the cause, Hindus have been standing for, in this country.
The Congress party has no right to quote Mahatma Gandhi or Ambedkar: The Congress party cannot ask for the inclusion of migrant Muslims on the basis of the Constitutional principles and by citing Mahatma Gandhi or Ambedkar. Those two tall leaders, did not envisage what kind of politics the Congress or other secular parties, in competition with the Congress, would play in this country. They did not think that one day the Congress would bring a feeling, among the majority Hindus, they are being alienated in their own homeland. They did not foresee that the Congress divides the Hindu community by castes to their advantage.
After Independence, Gandhi ji himself said: The Indian National Congress (the Congress party in shape and form at that time) i.e.., as a propaganda vehicle and parliamentary machine, had outlived its use. Yet, they clung to the party name, without a change, and mouthing shibboleths to others. Gandhi ji always wanted Swaraj (self-rule). He didn’t want the egregious British Tiger to be replaced by an Indian Tiger after Independence. The Congress (gradually) became an Indian Tiger replacing the British. For its own vote-bank politics, it has not brought the CAB earlier. So, what the Home Minister said in Rajya Sabha: The Congress without waiting for seventy years, should have brought the Citizenship Bill long ago, is apt.
The Congress claim: ‘The idea of India is distorted’, would only bounce back on them. The first family of the Congress, the dynastic successors, are groping for the idea of India, elsewhere in the world, not within the country. One should be, true ‘sons of the soil’ to feel the touch, pulse and emotion. It’s lacking in them. Their much hyped-up broad-mindedness/magnanimity to include migrant Muslims from neighbouring countries, is dubious. No country, is ever willing to take the unskilled labour on a huge scale. Moreover, India is highly populated and it cannot absorb all. The questions like: why not immigrants from the other countries like Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Africa etc. are not included, is ridiculous. They are not Islamic theocratic countries and they have nothing to do with partition of this country. Whereas, persecution of minorities in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, is a genuine cause for concern.
Going by analysis: The population during the Independence of India was, only 350 million. Now it has reached 1.3 billion. That means, four-fold. In this scenario, how can the country afford to take the neighbouring countries majority Muslim population? Would it not be a threat, if Pakistan, by design, sends some unruly elements? The opposition in their lust for minority votes, never think of security risk. They have a ready remedy, if something disastrous happens i.e. to seek ‘resilience’ from people.
However, the government moved boldly to pass the Bill. Now, it is a done deal. The job left is to assuage the feelings of Assamese and the North-East. Their problem is different from that of the opposition to oppose the Bill. It’s related to the excess migration into their respective states. That could be dealt with by spreading the newly recognized citizens to other regions of the country.
It’s strange to see why Aligarh and Jamia Mellia students are agitating. In what way are they related to Pakistani Muslims? Passing the Bill, is nothing unconstitutional. For, the secular parties viz. JDU, BJD, YSRCP, TDP, AIADMK have also supported the Bill that has become the law now. Don’t they know the Constitutional morality which the opposition Congress is crying hoarse? So, these agitations and rallies have no sense. Hence, conclusively, the BJP led NDA government, in its second term is surging ahead with all big initiatives.
