Granting citizenship to Hindu immigrants from Bangladesh

The BJP government has expressed its willingness to grant citizenship rights to Hindu immigrants from Bangladesh. This has created furore among the regional parties in Assam and civil society. Many have raised concerns about the credibility of India’s foreign policy and the government’s short-sightedness on the issue, probably driven by ideological-political considerations.

The implications of such a retrograde step are manifold. First, illegal immigration is a very complex issue in Assam and adjoining states. The Assam accord and the affidavit filed by the Assam government in Supreme Court mentions 24 March, 1971 as the defining date for determining the citizenship rights. Diluting this provision to accommodate the Hindu immigrants on religious lines is bound to complicate the issue further. Already, modalities are being worked upon to upgrade the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the government seems to be seriously considering efforts to curb illegal migration.

If at all, the government intends to accommodate the Hindu immigrants on the ground of persecution faced by them, it should specify the time-period during which they were unduly harassed. This would tantamount to casting aspersions on the ability of the foreign government(in this case, Bangladesh) to protect its minorities. All the Confidence Building Measures(CBMs) between the two countries achieved till date including the Land Boundary Agreement would come to naught as a result of deep mistrust between them.

It would be infinitely better should the government agree on a national policy for refugees for the betterment of persecuted minorities abroad. Alternatively, India could be a signatory to 1951 refugee convention under which the signatory countries are obliged not to send back the refugees on the ground of persecution and harassment. Such a coherent policy would do away with such ad-hoc decisions based on ideological-political considerations.