India, like many countries, has its own rules and laws for determining who belongs to the country and who doesn’t. This concept is known as citizenship. Citizenship is a legal status that allows a person to live and work in a country and enjoy certain rights and protections. In India, this idea is very important because the country is so diverse, with people from different backgrounds, religions, and languages.
One of the key issues that has been debated in India is the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The NRC is a list that aims to determine who the “genuine” citizens of India are. But why is this list so important? And what does it mean for the people of India?
In this article, we will explore the concept of citizenship in India, the politics surrounding it, and the role of the NRC in shaping this debate.
What is Citizenship?
Citizenship is the legal status of a person in a country. It gives a person the right to live in that country, vote in elections, access government services, and be protected by the laws of that country. In India, the rules for citizenship are laid out in the Indian Constitution and the Citizenship Act of 1955.
There are different ways a person can become a citizen of India:
- By Birth: If a person is born in India, they are usually considered a citizen of India, unless their parents are foreign diplomats or enemy aliens during a war.
- By Descent: If a person’s parents are Indian citizens, the person can also become a citizen.
- By Registration: A foreigner who lives in India for a certain number of years and meets the legal conditions can apply for Indian citizenship.
- By Naturalization: This is when a foreigner, who has lived in India for a long time, applies to become a citizen.
The idea behind citizenship is that it helps identify who belongs to a country and who does not. This is especially important for a large and diverse country like India, where many people have come from different parts of the world over the centuries.
What is the National Register of Citizens (NRC)?
The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is an official list of people who are considered legal citizens of India. The idea behind the NRC is to create a record of who lives in the country legally and who may be living there without proper authorization. The NRC has been most prominently used in the state of Assam, located in northeastern India.
In Assam, the NRC was updated to create a list of genuine citizens. This list is very important because it is being used to determine who can stay in Assam as a citizen and who might have to leave the state, especially if they are not able to prove their citizenship. The process of creating and updating the NRC in Assam has led to a lot of debates and controversy across India.
Why Was the NRC Created?
The main reason the NRC was created in Assam was to identify illegal immigrants from neighboring countries like Bangladesh. Assam has always had a large number of people from different ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Over the years, there have been fears that many people from neighboring Bangladesh have come to Assam illegally, especially during periods of political unrest.
To address this, the Assam Accord was signed in 1985, and one of its promises was to update the NRC to identify the legal citizens of Assam and distinguish them from illegal immigrants. The updated NRC was supposed to help ensure that only Indian citizens could vote, access government benefits, and claim land in Assam.
The Process of Updating the NRC
In 2015, the government started the process of updating the NRC in Assam. The process involved asking people to provide documents to prove their citizenship, such as birth certificates, voter ID cards, and other official papers. People had to show that they or their ancestors were residents of Assam before a certain date, mainly before 1971, which was the year Bangladesh became an independent country.
The authorities then went through these documents and prepared a list of people who were accepted as genuine citizens. However, many people were left off the list. In 2019, a final list of the NRC was published, and over 19 lakh (1.9 million) people were excluded from it.
This exclusion caused a lot of problems. Many people, especially those from poorer and marginalized communities, struggled to prove their citizenship because they did not have the right documents. These people feared being declared stateless and losing their rights to live in Assam.
The Politics of NRC and Citizenship
The politics surrounding the NRC is complicated and controversial. Several political parties, community groups, and citizens have strong opinions on the matter. Let’s look at some of the key political issues and debates surrounding the NRC.
1. Fear of Exclusion and Statelessness
One of the biggest concerns about the NRC is that it could lead to millions of people being excluded from the list and potentially becoming stateless. This means that people would have no nationality and no country to belong to. Many people in Assam, especially those from lower-income groups and indigenous communities, have expressed fear that they may be left out of the NRC due to the difficulty of obtaining official documents.
The fear of being excluded from the NRC has created panic, and many people have felt insecure about their future. For example, some people whose families have lived in Assam for generations could not provide the documents required to prove their citizenship. This has caused protests and clashes between different groups in Assam and other parts of India.
2. Religious and Ethnic Divisions
The NRC has also led to concerns about religious and ethnic discrimination. Critics argue that the process of updating the NRC has unfairly targeted specific communities, especially Muslims. Some people believe that the NRC is being used as a tool to exclude Muslims from the citizenship list, while others fear that it may be linked to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The CAA, passed in 2019, grants citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from neighboring countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who have faced religious persecution. Many people see the combination of the CAA and NRC as a way to exclude Muslims from the citizenship list, leading to protests and public unrest across India.
3. Political Rivalries and Regional Issues
In Assam, the NRC has become a deeply political issue. Different political parties have used the NRC to strengthen their position, either by supporting or opposing the list. Some parties argue that the NRC is necessary to protect Assam from illegal immigrants, while others say that it is unfair and has caused unnecessary hardship to many people.
The NRC has also highlighted the issue of regional identity in Assam. Many Assamese people, especially indigenous groups, feel that their culture and language are being threatened by the arrival of people from outside the state. They argue that updating the NRC is essential to preserve their identity and ensure that only those with a historical connection to Assam can live there.
4. National Implications
The NRC debate is not limited to Assam. The issue of citizenship and who belongs to India has become a national concern, especially with the introduction of the CAA. The CAA and NRC together have sparked protests across the country, with people worried about their citizenship status and the potential for exclusion.
Many people argue that India should focus on creating an inclusive and fair process to determine citizenship, instead of creating divisions based on religion, ethnicity, or documents. There have been widespread demands to make the process more transparent, fair, and accessible to everyone, regardless of their background.
The Way Forward
The issue of citizenship and the NRC remains a major political topic in India. It raises important questions about who belongs to India and how citizenship should be determined. As India continues to grow and change, it is important that the country finds solutions that respect the rights of all its people, while ensuring that the process of determining citizenship is fair and transparent.
The judiciary, political leaders, and civil society groups have a role to play in making sure that no one is unfairly excluded from the country. At the same time, it is important to protect the rights of the people living in India and ensure that no one is made stateless or discriminated against based on religion, ethnicity, or background.
In the end, India’s strength lies in its diversity, and the challenge is to make sure that all its citizens, regardless of where they come from or what their background is, are treated equally and fairly under the law.
