Abhijit Banerjee writes on CAA and NRC in the Indian express. (link at the end)
Prof Banerjee’s desire to write about the CAA and pick faults in it force him to exaggerate problems like the example of a fictitious woman he met in Bengal who had no clue to any question posed to her. He asks the right question about the woman.Who are you ? Implying that this is a helpless person. If you know nothing about yourself and no one else knows who you are or nothing about you, it sounds suspicious more than helpless. It is even more important for the state to know who you are ! This not only has security implications but it is also about being compassionate. Without an identity you cannot access state benefits. If in the bargain it proves you aren’t a citizen then that is the aim of the NRC. At this point the requirements for national NRC are undefined.
After indulging in some obfuscation about the benefits of migration – very relevant in rich countries with small populations – which can’t be stretched to fit India, he distracts by talking about internal migration. Internal migration is legal and has nothing to do with new citizenship, CAA or NRC. It almost appears as an attempt to highlight possible internal fault lines
After such circuitous and frankly meaningless logic he drops the most illogical bomb of them all. I quote ‘And the best way to get there is to embrace India’s vision of being one of the mother lodes of civilisation. Why not open our doors to everyone who signs up in our national mission of being democratic, open, tolerant and inclusive? ‘
It is this that makes my jaw drop and question his thinking or the lack of it. Which country in the world works like a charity ? Opening their borders to anyone and everyone who just ‘embraces’ the nations vision. Certainly India does not have that luxury. He is not a citizen of India. Will the county he belongs to have open borders and take in every one who just feigns belief in the nations vision ?
Often this logic of being the mother lode of civilisation is an attempt to guilt trip Indians in general and Hindus in particular to be true to their roots of being liberal, inclusive and accommodating. This liberal nature of Indians and Hinduism which is its biggest asset is turning out to be its biggest weakness in recent times. As political and intellectual vultures exploit this nature of Indians to force us to accommodate people of all beliefs including those who openly do not subscribe to the nations vision. It is time to call out such people and not be emotionally swayed.
Nation building is serious business. It is about empowering the people and giving them a bright future. It cannot be done with empty words of compassion and idealism even if it comes from the pen of Nobel laureates. The NRC is something all countries in the world practice. India is making a start and this should be encouraged . Make suggestions to improve the process not trash it completely.
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