Citizenship Amendment Act

The saffron color, originally meant to depict themes like ‘peace’, ‘fraternity’ and ‘spirituality’ now lies broken, tainted with blood and thinly veiled hatred. It has been moulded in the ugliest form possible to establish an obvious line of ‘Hindu rashtra’ propaganda.This marks a time where chest-thumping nationalism, in all its failed logic has seemed to have acquired undue and disproportionate popularity. Using religion as the basis for granting citizenship is inherently divisive, discriminatory and utterly defies the constitution. Thus the public outbursts do not seem out of place at all. However, this is not to justify the violence perpetrated at any end, as outbursts of violence too dismantle the functioning of a robust democracy.

The main argument that I would like to put forward against this act is a simple one. That it is an unwanted departure from the fundamental issues that plague our country such as extensive economic slowdown or decline in female work force participation or even our degrading & poor rankings on several of international indices such as world hunger index, gender parity- the list goes on.

It is also astonishing to note the widespread display of of police brutality and the current government’s utter indifference towards the public dismay at the vast consequences of the act. This implies an ignorance of the  very building blocks of any functional democracy- a need to generate a consensus in the legislature especially when constructing a bill of this scale and magnitude.  The ruling government, no matter what its majority looks like, must consult closely with the opposition, take in their concerns, and objectively approach a middle ground that ensures optimum inclusion that cuts across barriers of creed, gender or religion.

The creativity that the majorly young crowds have displayed while protesting is also remarkable; posters, chants, peaceful poems, sitting outside important buildings, all display the earnestness with which everyone has come together to fight for a common cause. It is a mixed bag scenario, where on one side our leaders are depicting a loss for democratic values, and on the other hand, the public continues to beat with core democratic ideals at its heart.

“All for one and one for all, united we stand, divided we fall.”

Peace.