The real motive seemed to be to identify Muslim migrants. However, it went wrong for supporters of a “Hindu rashtra” (Hindu nation): 60% of those who failed to make the register were Hindus. Every refugee – Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Christian and Parsi – would be granted citizenship under a new bill, called the citizenship amendment bill. Assamese protesters weren’t opposing the CAA for secular reasons; they felt they were going to become minorities in their own state once Bengali Hindu migrants were granted citizenship. The “climate of fear” that hung over India, which I wrote about in these pages two months ago, is lifting.

Source: The Guardian December 22, 2019 15:33 UTC