Readers’ Comments: Why is BJP forcing the NRC on a billion people?

Questions of citizenship

The massive protests all over India, led by the youth have spectacularly bewildered the nation and the world. It is a positive sign for Indian democracy that no leader can impose his whims by arrogance and bulldoze the system (CAA protests: Modi and Shah have plunged India into ‘turmoil and unrest’, claims Ashok Gehlot). Even the opposition parties who supported the bill in the Rajya Sabha have been put to shame. No one will allow such arrogance and the rules will have to mend their ways.

The detention centers being built in all states for illegal immigrants, with 10-foot high walls and barbed wires, are frightening. The youth of india has unitedly arisen to not allow any nonsense by rulers whose background is suspect because of their actions in Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir. – Kantichand Rampuria Jain

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I fail to understand why the BJP government wishes to force the CAA, NPR and NRC on one billion citizens. Only to catch hold of a few lakh undocumented migrants? That’s the job of the Border Security Force, who shouldn’t let them in. These immigrants are now already assimilated in India. They are not begging, rioting or demanding jobs, but working in menial jobs for a living. They are neither draining the exchequer nor sending their earnings back to their homeland.

Now, the Modi government wants to house them in detention camps, where they will do no work and eat at the government’s expense. And the government is ready to spend Rs 50,000 crore or more on this. How will we do that?

To identify these people, the government will spend another thousand crores on the National Population Register. Home Minister Amit Shah has said repeatedly that voter ID, Aadhaar card, PAN card and passport will not be considered proof of citizenship. So if there is a mismatch in spellings in my documents or if I am simply unable to locate them, then what? I may have to pay a bribe of thousands or even lakhs, or lose my citizenship.

And if the government suddenly decides that the PAN card, Aadhaar card, etc are valid – then what is the point of this whole exercise? The government of India is tying itself up in these stupid moves. – Mahesh K Rathi

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On many counts, the Citizenship Amendment Act does not address any basic needs of the day. There are thousands of other things that are urgent to attend to (Citizenship Act protests: Editors Guild seeks withdrawal of I&B Ministry advisory to TV channels). Is this a democracy or an autocracy? All offices are working under the dictates of Modi and Shah. The Election Commission, which is the foundation of our democracy, is working like a slave under the regime. The Reserve Bank of India and the defence administration are also taking dictates from the government. Meanwhile, disinvestment is rendering thousands of employees jobless and the economy is sinking. – Singh Ajit

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Both sides – the BJP-led Union government and the Opposition-led protesters – are playing a dangerous game of brinkmanship in which, as usual, youngsters fired up by half-truths and plain lies are the foot soldiers who are injured or killed (Citizenship Act: Bhim Army chief sent to 14 days’ custody in connection with protests in Old Delhi). Reflect on why – even after the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid called on both agitators and government for restraint and calm – Bhim Army chief launched his agitation at the very gates of Jama Masjid. Then, he claimed he was inside all along! The harsh truth is that both, the BJP and the Opposition, are stoking the fire. With the Ayodhya issue that’s sustained them for 30 years now resolved, both are eager to see that India remains communally polarised for the Lok Sabha elections to come. – RP Subramanian

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Just stop being anti-national and please contribute positively to the growth of the nation (Arundhati Roy asks Indians to oppose NPR and NRC by providing false names and addresses). Arundhati Roy’s only agenda is to malign the government and tarnish the country’s image. The amendment allows all those who are minorities and persecuted in neighbouring countries, and have no other country to look to for shelter. It is a shame that the propaganda she has woven is nefarious and outright dangerous. Your news has cunningly suppressed vital information and intent of the amendment. It seems like you seek pleasure in playing the Muslim card. Please stop writing willingly bias and belligerent news. – CL Parmar

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The turmoil over the Citizenship Amendment Act is nothing but a well-thought out strategy of the mahagathbandhan (Who is linking Citizenship Act to NRC? Here are five times Amit Shah did so). You can peruse this from various statements made by disgruntled politicians like Akhilesh Yadav, Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, and others who are linking CAA with NRC to garner support from Muslim voters. In this context, Prashant Kishor is putting pressure on Nitish Kumar to distance the party from the NRC to further his own goals. – Mayank Malayaj

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The headline for this article rightly points out the sentiment of many Indians, who grew up in a pluralist country (The Daily Fix: India has a loud message for Modi-Shah – we won’t let you turn us into a Hindu nation). It has become very hard to convince my child that this is the same country that I grew up in and never had to bother about my religious identity. I never thought that my religion would be tantamount to hurdles in my day-to-day living. It took a lot of pain to convince my child that India is and always will be a pluralist and tolerant country. – Mohommed Ghouse

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On governance

A fitting tribute to the great leader (PM Modi launches groundwater scheme, renames tunnel under Rohtang Pass after Vajpayee). The plan to provide 15 crore rural households with piped water in the next five years is highly commendable. Already, the current regime has bagged the credit of providing electricity to almost all households in the nation. It is rightly said that there is a need to evolve technologies to minimise wastage of water in various human activities. Also, efforts must be accelerated to harness and conserve water. Ways and means are also to be evolved to tap the optimum utility of flood waters, which we can treat as nature’s sporadic bounties. It is time for action before water goes for auction. – Ramana Gove

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The BJP’s gradual loss of strength in states, compared to its resounding victory in general elections, is an issue of concern and needs a relook into the issues that are turning the tables (Jharkhand elections: JMM-Congress-RJD alliance emerges victorious, BJP concedes defeat). The party still has every chance to consolidate and gain lost ground to build a great and glorious nation. This calls for greater concentration on the economic slowdown. A massive mandate, softer crude prices, uptick in the ease of doing business and a high demographic dividend are some of the things that work in favour of the current regime. – Ramana Gove

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This article is so one-sided, ill-researched and anti-government that it is pitiable (Scrapping of no-detention policy in schools is an admission of failure by the Modi government). I wish the journalist had taken the trouble to meet with students and teachers in some government and private schools to understand the ground reality. Journalism is not about taking a few thoughts and random opinions and stringing them together with words. Get your facts right. – Malathi Rai

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This article unnecessarily criticises the objectives and goals of the government (The Daily Fix: Sitharaman’s response on how Indian economy will get to $5 trillion should worry you). At least 18 months’ time should be given to study the progress and course corrections to reach the objective or revised targets. A country’s economy is not a game to be played solo and international factors will also play a role. Just blaming the Finance Minister’s sated objectives is too much. – JV Rao

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Miscellaneous comments

The core themes of many sci-fi works – such as a journey to the moon, artificial intelligence, interstellar wars,cloning and alien life – have revealed the depths of humankind’s imagination (Seven cli-fi novels that show us how life might imitate art when it comes to climate change). Today, many of the themes are no longer fiction but facts. Similarly, predictions made through different works of cli-fi seem to be a reality, with tremors of climate change already being felt in the form of floods, droughts, storms, rising temperatures, and melting glaciers. A massive participation by well-informed people all over the globe about the ways and means to avert the impending crisis would be a fitting response. –Ramana Gove

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This article is like a breath of fresh air. It took me back to my younger days in Kolkata, where I had gone from Bihar to study CA (Why do so many companies want to hire Hindustan Unilever’s managers as CEOs?).

I used to get Rs 200 a month from my cousin’s office in lieu of serving part-time. But sometimes, it felt like a full-time job. I was sent to places like Sindri in Jharkhand and Talchar in Odisha to do field work for my cousin, who by then had become my boss.

I had to frequently skip my CA training as an articled clerk and my principal used to scold me for remaining absent without taking prior leave. A poor but ambitious student was caught between the devil and deep sea.

The bright side in all of this, however, was that I was gradually being introduced to an environment of business where I learnt the intricacies of dealing with large corporate companies and public sector behemoths – from a corrupt manager to a fine and sauve board member. It was that grassroot training which helped me in later part of my career. The experience of travelling in crowded buses and trains, staying in budget guest houses, eating at railway platforms and roadside tea stalls taught me lessons that were a world apart from my cosy days as a topper in college.

Truly, the story of Hindustan Unilever’s manager is the story of an Indian middle class, ambitious man. I send you my compliments and wish you good wishes. – Kamal Naria