CAA 2019

Law of averages catches up some times and nullifies previous unmerited advantages and benefits.
Law of unintended consequences brings about events not foreseen which may be good or bad.
Remonetisation, wrongly known as demonetisation, and introduction of GST without proper preparation caused hardship to people but did not cause loss in popularity or votes to Narendra Modi. Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 was expected to further Modi’s popularity but the opposite happened.
CAA gives citizenship to Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh and Parsi immigrants or refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh which are officially Muslim countries. Cut-off date is 31/12/2014. Muslims are excluded. In Afghanistan there is death penalty for conversion from Islam to another religion. In Pakistan Non-Muslims are targets of Blasphemy law. There are reports of abduction and forcible conversion and marriages of Non-Muslim brides in Pakistan.
CAA does not deprive Indian Muslims of their citizenship. Wrong to say CAA divides Indian citizens in two categories.
Unforeseen protests erupted in Assam, West Bengal, Delhi and other parts of India. CAA was mainly to give citizenship to Bengali Hindu immigrants from Bangladesh. Assamese people don’t want Bengali Hindus in their midst. They say they are a minority in their state and citizenship to Bengali Hindus threatens their language and culture. Many voters say Modi betrayed them. Previous cut-off date for Bangladeshi immigrants was 31/12/1971.
West Bengal has many Muslims who have come from Bangladesh. Mamata Banerjee supports them.
Shinzo Abe’s visit to Guwahati was cancelled. Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Kalam Abdul Momen cancelled Delhi visit.
Strange is the stand of USA. It is concerned about religious freedom in India. In 2016 Donald Trump talked of Muslim ban. India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar should remind USA’s Ambassador at Large Sam Brownback about that.
Some CMs have said they will not implement CAA in their states. It is not for them to do that. States have no authority to overrule Centre or Union for India is officially a Union of States.
Modi said Congress and allies are behind violent protests against CAA. No surprise in doing politicians doing such things.
Now onwards it is damage control for Modi and Amit Shah. In August central government was ready for events after bifurcation of Jammu & Kashmir. In December it expected positive response in Assam. That did not happen.