NRC will end up disenfranchising muslims, newspaper reports
Hong Kong, December 25 (KMS): After decades of notching important diplomatic victories, India is now on the receiving end of unprecedented global suspicion and hostility, Asia Times, a Hong Kong-based English language newspaper, reported.
The newspaper said, “New Delhi’s diminishment of global stature has been fed by three key policies of the Narendra Modi government – a religion-based citizenship law, the abrogation of Kashmir’s special status and demonetization.”
“Modi won a landslide victory for a second term in the general elections held in April-May this year. But a series of major policy changes in the first few months has now put the government under siege globally,” Asia Times says and adds that in the historic South Block, which houses India’s venerable Ministry of External Affairs, there is deep consternation over this eroding stature.
On Tuesday morning Indians woke up to the news that a German exchange student, Jakob Lindenthal, was “orally informed” by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office to leave India. Lindenthal was in India as an exchange student to do a masters’ course in the department of physics at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai campus.
“He was seen on social media marching with his fellow students, protesting India’s new controversial citizenship law that uses religion as a criterion and excludes Muslims from getting fast-track citizenship.”
While that is seen as a violation of India’s constitution, many fear that once a national register of citizens starts, it will end up disenfranchising Muslims, Asia Times feared.
India has already started building detention centers to house those found without adequate documentation. The centers closely resemble the concentration camps built by the Nazis.
