The citizenship test: One that many Indians may not pass

In light of Bihar development, whenever the SIR is carried out in other states, there is a potential risk of many Indians losing their voting rights

- ALICHOUGULE

In his Independence Day speech last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned the nation of a "grave concern and challenge", which he explained "is part of a deliberate conspiracy" to alter the demography of the country. Obviously, he was referring to the issue of illegal immigrants. "Seeds of a new crisis are being sown. These infiltrators are snatching the livelihoods of our youth. These infiltrators are targeting our sisters and daughters. This will not be tolerated." To tackle this "new crisis" in the making, the PM announced the launch of a "high-powered demography" mission but did not clarify how the mission would work. However, it is not difficult to figure out its modus operandi from past events, recent developments, and disparate actions already underway in parts of the country against "suspected infiltrators".

The question of "infiltrators" is a highly emotive and contentious issue that keeps echoing in a play-pause-play repeat cycle every now and then, particularly during elections. While it is a problem that needs to be tackled in accordance with the law, the alarmist claims made by right-wing politicians about India becoming a home of alleged Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators are not backed by government data. Although the incentive to promote the infiltrators' narrative suits the majoritarian discourse, there is a perceptible rise in the harassment, humiliation, and curtailment of the basic rights to life and livelihood of Bengali-speaking migrant labour working in some of the BJP-ruled states.