India's Prime Minister Modi's Aim Behind the 'Demographic Strategy' Unveiled
In a series of recent developments, India's ruling Hindu nationalist BJP party has announced a "high-powered demography mission" to address irregular migration, which the party describes as a "national security crisis." This announcement follows closely on the heels of the Election Commission's revisions of electoral rolls in Bihar, one of India's largest states by population.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement, stating that infiltrators are snatching away jobs, targeting women, misleading tribals, and capturing their land. The mission's primary focus seems to be on immigrants from neighbouring Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
The Citizenship Amendment Act, which fast-tracks Indian citizen applications from Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian immigrants who escaped religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, is a key part of this demography mission. However, the Act has been controversial, with critics arguing that it allegedly discriminates on the basis of religion, as it excludes Muslims from this fast-track process.
Kavita Krishnan, a women's rights activist, stated that the exercise serves to create a climate of fear among Muslims, Bengali speakers, Kuki-Zo people from the northeast, and Rohingya refugees. The Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) echoed this sentiment, arguing that there are no "illegal migrants," as claimed by the BJP, terming the notion of "illegal immigration" a bogeyman created by the ruling party to stoke fear and justify its demography mission.
BJP national spokesperson Tom Vadakkan defended the demography mission, stating that opposition parties are riled by it because they treat outsiders as part of their vote bank. He also added that the mission aims to halt fraudulent means of acquiring citizenship. However, critics have suggested that the demography mission is a ruse to justify targeting populations perceived as outsiders, especially in states that share borders with Bangladesh.
The state of Assam's effort to tackle irregular migration has been a point of contention. In 2019, the state excluded 1.9 million people from the final citizenship list, creating uncertainty in their political and legal status as Indian citizens. Ranjit Sur, general secretary of the APDR, found no evidence of an influx of people from Bangladesh during field visits to border districts.
The concern over irregular migration is not new. Indians have been crossing over to Bangladesh to work in the garment industry periodically, reversing the narrative of large-scale infiltration. However, the Home Ministry of India has identified irregular migration from Bangladesh as a top security concern, with most apprehensions recorded along the West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, and Meghalaya borders.
As the demography mission and the Citizenship Amendment Act continue to be debated, it is crucial to maintain a factual and unbiased approach to understanding the issues at hand. The potential impact on various communities, as well as the implications for India's national security, remain significant concerns that require careful consideration and discussion.
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