Modi govt implements ‘anti-Muslim’ citizenship law

In a controversial move, the Narendra Modi-led Indian government has implemented a 2019 citizenship law which excludes Muslims, weeks before the elections in the country.

The Citizenship Amendment Act made Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians who fled to Hindu-majority India from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan before Dec. 31, 2014 eligible for the citizenship.

Interestingly, the law excludes Muslims, who are a majority in all three nations.

The law was approved by Indian Parliament in 2019, however, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government had held off with its implementation after deadly protests broke in India.

The law was declared “anti-Muslim” by several rights groups for keeping the community out of its ambit.

“The Modi government announces implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act,” a government spokesperson told Reuters.

“It was an integral part of BJP’s 2019 [election] manifesto. This will pave [the] way for the persecuted to find citizenship in India,” he said.

Modi’s government defended the 2019 citizenship law time and time again as a humanitarian gesture aiming to extend citizenship to religious minorities

India’s main opposition Congress party also questioned the move, saying “the timing right before the elections is evidently designed to polarise the elections.”