The law is unjust and discriminates against Muslims, its long term intentions are to make Millions of Muslims stateless. As Mukul Kesavan put it in the Guardian "The cutting edge of this majoritarian project is a radical two-pronged assault on Indian citizenship. First, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which is designed to fast-track non-Muslim migrants from carefully chosen Muslim majority countries into citizenship, has created, by implication, a religious test for citizenship.
This new law is to be followed by the compilation of a national register of citizens (NRC) that will compel Indians to document their Indianness. Non-Muslims who fail to satisfy the NRC’s tribunals might be able to use the loophole created by the amended citizenship law to find a path to citizenship. Muslims who fail the test will have no recourse: they will be cast into the kind of limbo that the Rohingya experienced in Rakhine before they were violently purged from that province.
So over to you tell me about the rapists and Murderers intentions.
The writer has problem with two things, the CAA and the NRC. NRC hasn't happened, and it is not tabled in the parliament. I have my own apprehensions against the NRC, but cannot comment unless I see the draft.
So that leaves us with CAA, which is the only amendment till now.
CAA does not take away any Indian's citizenship.
It provides citizenship to refugees from three neighbouring countries.
For those from other countries, there was a waiting period of 11 years before they were naturalized as citizens.
This amendment gives fast track to religious minorities and reduced their waiting period to 5 years instead of 11.
For those who are not religious minorities, the earlier period of 11 years will apply.
Even for those religious minorities who got waiting time of 5 years, there is a cut off date of 2014.
Indian laws favour minorities in almost everything. Even the fundamental rights have execptions when it comes to minorities and some fundamental rights are not given to majority. So this amendment follows the same spirit: give minorities preference. This is a pro minority law. How is that unjust?
If, at all it discriminates, then it discriminates against Pakistani and Bangladeshi muslims. You tell me how many pakistani muslims really want to move to India? They might like to move to UK/europe, but with the exception of the odd adnan sami, which pakistani would like to move to india? I don't see Pakistani or Bangladeshi muslims protesting against this law, when it, if at all, discriminates against them. Even the more aware Indian muslims are not protesting against this law, but about the other law which is a promise by the govt, but not even in the draft stage yet.
Some woke indians are protesting against CAA because they think it is against the constitution. But it is not an open and shut case. Even the best outcome ( for the anti CAA protestors ) will be that it is unconstitutional because it is not complete, and more minorities may get added, but by no stretch of imagination it is anti muslim law. If this is anti muslim law, then most of the laws in the constitution are anti hindu or anti upper caste ( not my logic, but the logic of those who call it anti muslim).
So if you think that this law is anti muslim and unjust, then you have to agree that other cherished laws in the constitution are also unjust and anti hindu. Tell me if you object to this statement.
Now to answer your question about Modi's intention. I cannot guess what his intention is. But this is a poor argument that the law is bad because Modi is bringing it. Will the same law be good if Manmohan Singh was bringing it? Should the refugees wait till Modi is overthrown, and a new PM is sworn in, and the same law is passed, because now there is a person whose intention cannot be doubted? Should any law that does good to the disenfranchised be stopped till Modi is overthrown, because his intentions are doubtful? You see the problem with that line of argument?
The only objection against the CAA from Indians should have been: Why don't you show the same concern about the welfare of the minorities in india, the same way you are (rightfully) showing it for minority refugees?
But they are barking up the wrong tree and calling this law unjust and anti muslim out of ignorance and propaganda.
