At one end the claim is being made that this bill will affect about 32,000 people who have sought asylum. But the protests point at something entirely different. There are a lot of illiterate citizens in India who have lived in the country for generations who do not have any kind of paperwork. Because in India's informal economy, no paperwork is necessary. The Muslims are disproportionately poor and are less likely to have paperwork despite having no other country. India is the only country they know. This bill along with the national effort to create a registry of all citizens can be used in ways so as to render tens of millions stateless at the stroke of a pen. That is the fear. And it is combustible.
That religious minorities face persecution in Pakistan, or Afghanistan or Bangladesh is not a reason why they should also face persecution in India. This is not about Pakistan, or Afghanistan, or Bangladesh. This is about the fundamental character of India.
You start with the biometric ID. You don't ask for paperwork. You give them paperwork based on their biometric IDs. That should be the Indian way.
India is in a good position to take a political lead on this and make it a global issue to be tackled at many regional forums, and at the United Nations. The Indian national government should not embarrass itself by ill-thought measures that do not stand the shine of its own constitution.
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— The Hindu (@the_hindu) December 15, 2019
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