Wanted, A Healing Touch: At Pro-CAA Rally Amit Shah Must Quell Apprehensions On Citizenship Law

Expect Home Minister Amit Shah to stick to the script when he addresses the pro-CAA rally in Bhubaneswar today.

The Citizenship Amendment Act, he would say, is about granting citizenship, not taking it away from any Indian. It would not snatch citizenship from Muslims. It is aimed at addressing wrongs meted out to minorities in countries sharing a common border with India. The number of beneficiaries of the Act would not be in millions as the detractors would claim, but only a shade above 30,000, he might add.

Of course, there would be the usual jibes at the opposition for playing what he would say dirty and divisive politics over a non-issue, and the mention to Shaheen Bagh clones sprouting across the country as an exercise in ignorance riding on imaginary fears. He would assert that come what may, there would be no going back on the Act.

Perhaps he would omit the uncomfortable questions. Why cherry-pick countries where persecution of minorities take place? Why the overt emphasis on religion while granting citizenship? Why single out one community for exclusion from the ambit of the Act? What happens to people who fail to produce proof of citizenship–deposit them in detention centres for eternity or just exterminate them? Which neighbouring country would accept that minorities were being persecuted under their watch? And, how do the ones seeking Indian citizenship prove religious persecution?

As is usual in the case of burning emotive issues that have opinions sharply divided, he would both be preaching to the converted and leaving naysayers hardening their position on the matter. It would do little to quell the anxiety of those fearing the worst under the current dispensation. A welcome departure from the script would be if Shah plays the statesman and suggests a way out.

But is there a way out? There is, but trapped in the politics of ideology as it is there is little hope of it making its presence felt. Now, the most important question: Can Amit Shah convince all citizens of the country that his words about the CAA being fair and bereft of a malicious motive are trustworthy? This forms the crux of the entire citizenship controversy. No matter what Prime Minister Narendra Modi or his Home minister utter to assuage the fears of the Muslim community in particular and the pan-Indian citizenry wedded to the higher values of the Constitution in general, it would fall short.

This should bring us to the role of surround noise in perception building under the current regime. Curiously, it does have less to do with the Shah-Modi duo than other less relevant characters in the play. The surround noise, as evident from the venomous election campaign in Delhi, creates a pervading atmosphere of fear, not only among the Muslims but also among liberal Hindus. The culture of threats-of the goli maaro kind-appears to have embedded itself deep in public discourse. The more the language of the likes of Anurag Thakur, Giriraj Singh, Kapil Mishra, Pragyan Thakur, Dilip Ghose and several others float about, the more is the scope for the sense of insecurity to hang heavy in the air. Add to it the relentless hate-mongering in a section of the media.

The evidence of the senior leadership trying to dissociate itself from the fear-mongers is scant. So long as this does not happen, all look part of an eco system that thinks and acts in perfect symmetry. And with a singular exclusionary motive. A good start for the top leadership at confidence-building would be to rein in the aggression in speech and conduct all around. Also, it does not help branding them as supporters of this party or that. This act of othering does nothing to build trust. Hope the Home minister begins afresh an attempt at healing touch in Bhubaneswar.