India’s new Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which excludes Muslims, has stirred significant controversy both domestically and internationally. The law, which was passed by Parliament in 2019, has been accused of undermining the country’s secular foundation and is seen by critics as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agenda to reshape India into a Hindu-dominated state.
What Is the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)?
The CAA provides a fast track to Indian citizenship for religious minorities — Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Christians — from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who entered India before December 31, 2014. Notably, it excludes Muslims, despite their being the majority population in those three countries.
This law amends previous legislation that prevented all illegal migrants from obtaining citizenship. For the first time in India’s history as a secular state, citizenship eligibility is now tied to religion, excluding one specific group.
The Modi government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), defends the CAA as a humanitarian effort aimed at helping persecuted religious minorities from neighboring countries. They emphasize that the law is not intended to revoke citizenship from Muslims already living in India and that Muslims born in India remain unaffected by the new legislation.
Why Is the Law So Controversial?
The CAA sparked massive protests across India when it was passed in 2019, resulting in deadly clashes that left many people dead. Critics argue that the law is unconstitutional as it discriminates against Muslims based on their religion, violating India’s secular principles enshrined in the Constitution. The protests brought together people of various faiths, all of whom opposed the law for threatening the country’s identity as a pluralistic and inclusive democracy.
Muslims, in particular, fear that the law, when combined with the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), could be used to disenfranchise and marginalize them. The NRC is a citizenship verification initiative aimed at identifying illegal migrants, but it has so far only been implemented in the northeastern state of Assam. Modi’s government has promised to expand the NRC nationwide, which critics fear could create a pathway for Muslim exclusion, while the CAA could shield non-Muslims who fail to make it onto the registry.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty India, have voiced strong opposition to the CAA, stating that it legitimizes religious discrimination. On the international front, the U.S. government has also expressed concern. The State Department has stressed the importance of religious freedom and equal treatment under the law, pledging to monitor how the law is implemented in India.
The Government’s Defense
Despite the widespread criticism, Modi’s government has stood firm in defending the CAA. The government insists the law is a necessary measure to protect religious minorities fleeing persecution in neighboring countries. It also claims the law does not affect any current Indian citizens, including Muslims.
Ahead of India’s upcoming general elections, scheduled for May, the BJP is positioning the implementation of the CAA as a fulfillment of its campaign promises, reaffirming its commitment to the law and dismissing allegations that it seeks to marginalize India’s Muslim population.
The CAA has intensified the debate over India’s identity as a secular nation and raised concerns about the treatment of its Muslim minority. As the law is rolled out, it remains to be seen how it will be implemented and what impact it will have on India’s diverse and complex social fabric.