Northeast on the boil

INDIA’S Northeast has been rocked by protests after the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill that provides for giving Indian citizenship by naturalisation to members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014, and faced religious persecution there. The Bill is now being challenged in the SC on the ground that it is discriminatory and ensures that illegal Muslim migrants excluded after the NRC exercise be prosecuted. Muslims excluded shall have to prove their citizenship before the Foreigners Tribunal. That the CAB comes after the abrogation of Article 370, abolition of triple talaq and the Ayodhya judgment has deepened misgiving.

Meanwhile, Assam and Meghalaya have seen outbursts of public anger. CM Sarbananda Sonowal has assured of protecting the rights of the indigenous people, but the fear of the Assamese getting swamped by the Bengalis has made the region restive. There are apprehensions that the Assam Accord of 1985, which regarded all those who entered the state after 1971, irrespective of religion as illegal immigrants, will lose relevance. Illegal immigrants, both Hindus and Muslims, are not wanted there. The events also cast a shadow on foreign relations, with Bangladesh ministers cancelling their visit and a cloud of uncertainty over the Japan PM’s visit. States like Punjab and Kerala have refused to implement it.

A few things need mention here. For countries to allow their ethnic population to leave because of persecution raises a question on their rights record. Also, India did grant citizenship to Pakistan artist Adnan Sami and residence permit to Bangladesh writer Taslima Nasreen. Then there is the example of the Lankan Tamils and charges of their involvement in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. The thought of keeping the immigrants away may have contributed to making Brexit appealing to many in Britain, and the echo may sound familiar in the insurgency-hit Northeast. India has a history of assimilation manifest in its composite culture, and the government should address concerns, so that no section feels alienated and marginalised.