US criticism of CAA

THE US was quick to weigh in on the Indian Government’s notification of the rules under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The Biden administration said it was worried about the development and would monitor the implementation of the Act. It unnecessarily interjected that respect for religious freedom and equal treatment of all communities were fundamental democratic principles. India was quick to react on both counts. The CAA, it reminded America, was the country’s internal matter and the Indian Constitution guaranteed equal rights to all its citizens.

Clearly, there are political calculations in notifying the CAA’s rules on the eve of the General Election after it was in limbo for four years. But the American homily is part of a recent pattern of diatribes against India over human rights. For the past three months, US religious freedom and human rights bodies have held hearings on transnational repression. Surprisingly, India figured in all of them, besides usual suspects Russia and China. There could be several triggers for this pressure, which emanates from the Western diplomatic toolkit. But even if there was no ulterior motive behind the US criticism, its concerns are off the mark.

The CAA does portray the BJP as a party keen on gaining from polarisation. However, the law does not apply to Indian citizens. Its notification, though, could prompt the next government to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) across the country. Notably, the majority of the 19 lakh people excluded from the NRC list in Assam in 2019 were Hindus. India and its Western allies need to repose faith in the Supreme Court, which will take up for hearing this week a bunch of petitions against the CAA.