November 21st Editorial
21st November 2019
TOPIC: Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure. (Paper II)
Discuss the idea of NRC being held across India
Introduction
The proposal for a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) is worrisome on several counts. The government would also re-introduce the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) that envisages the grant of Indian citizenship to all refugees from minority communities in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
Drawbacks of the idea
- The inability to learn from the experience of carrying out the humongous exercise in Assam.
- The Bill denies a benefit to Muslim minorities from other neighboring countries, including Myanmar where Rohingya Muslims face persecution.
- Home Minister announced that the NRC process would be conducted in Assam again with the rest of the country.
- There is still no clarity on what the 19 lakh plus people outside the NRC could do. They are potentially stateless and at risk of “deportation”.
- Bangladesh refuses to acknowledge them.
NRC for the whole country
- If there is a lesson from Assam, it is that there is no right way of going through a process such as the NRC.
- There are genuine fears that a nationwide NRC will target Muslims.
- How such an exercise will be carried out is not yet known.
- In the case of Assam, there was a cut-off date after which all foreigners as per the Assam Accord were to be expelled. The Centre may come out with a cut-off for the nationwide NRC.
Conclusion
Given the dangers that lurk within such exercises, the government could abandon the nationwide NRC-CAB combination. Indians can certainly be spared this pain.