The Citizenship Amendment Act: History of Giving Citizenship and Burden on India’s Resources

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The furore over the CAA has gone too far and too baselessly. Majority of those opposing either do not know the facts or prefer to ignore them. It is being portrayed as if citizenship to a select category of people is being given for the first time. Another argument laid on top of the first one is that the CAA will burden India’s resources indiscriminately. Let’s answer both.

From 1964-2008 4.61 lakh Tamils were given Indian citizenship. From 1962-1978 over 2 lakh Burmese were settled in India. Ugandan Hindus were given citizenship. Post the 1971 War many Bangladeshis were given citizenship.

Why was there never any outrage by the coterie of intellectuals, liberals, Leftists and Communists then? Why didn’t those who call the CAA communal demand in those times for citizenship to also be given to persecuted Muslims? Why weren’t those moves declared arbitrary and anti-minority? The only reason that comes to mind is that back then the government in power was that of the Congress party and everything that Congress does is labelled secular by God himself while anything done by the BJP is inherently communal and divisive.

As far as the ‘burden on Indian resources’ argument is considered, each time the above mentioned people were given citizenship it involved usage of our resources. Again, not a single voice spoke about the diversion of resources from an actual citizen to a refugee, but now suddenly many are worried about it.

According to an Intelligence Bureau report submitted to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) 31,313 persons belonging to minority communities in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan would benefit immediately from the CAA. (Hindus: 25,447, Sikhs: 5,807, Christians: 55, Buddhists: 2, Parsis: 2). India is much more developed and has much more resources than it did in the 1970s or 1980s and India is giving citizenship to a much lesser number of refugees now that it had been done previously. Yet the ‘resources’ argument is being made now and never before.

Those speaking of India’s resources forget conveniently – or maybe they just don’t know – that about 95,000 Sri Lankan refugees are living in Tamil Nadu who are being given rations and other facilities by the central and state government. Aren’t Indian resources being employed here?

The greatest irony of the matter is this: The ones speaking against the CAA also oppose the government when it says it will deport illegal Rohingyas and Bangladeshi immigrants who, combined, are crores in number. Usage of resources for Bangladeshis and Rohingyas who’ve illegally settled in India is fine but the same for persecuted minorities is not? Who’s really making it communal?

It seems as if the Congress giving refuge exclusively to Hindus is alright but if the BJP passes a bill through Parliament in a constitutional fashion and makes a humanitarian gesture towards those whose lives have been nothing short of hell then it’s despicably wrong simply because it is the ‘hardline’ BJP doing the thing.

Such hypocrisy in the name of fake secularism is what’s been India’s greatest bane.