Share this @internewscast.com

NEW DELHI — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on Monday announced rules to implement a 2019 citizenship law that excludes Muslims, weeks before the Hindu nationalist leader seeks a third term in office.

The Citizenship Amendment Act provides a fast track to naturalization for Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians who fled to Hindu-majority India from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan before Dec. 31, 2014. The law excludes Muslims, who are a majority in all three nations.

The law was approved by the Indian Parliament in 2019, but Modi’s government had held off with its implementation after deadly protests broke out in the capital, New Delhi, and elsewhere. Scores were killed during days of clashes.

The nationwide protests in 2019 drew people of all faiths who said the law undermines India’s foundation as a secular nation. Muslims were particularly worried that the government could use the law, combined with a proposed national register of citizens, to marginalize them.

The National Register of Citizens is part of the Modi government’s effort to identify and weed out people it claims came to India illegally. The register has only been implemented in the northeastern state of Assam, and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has promised to roll out a similar citizenship verification program nationwide.

Modi’s government has defended the 2019 citizenship law as a humanitarian gesture. It argues that the law is meant only to extend citizenship to religious minorities fleeing persecution and would not be used against Indian citizens.

“These rules will now enable minorities persecuted on religious grounds in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to acquire citizenship in our nation,” Home Minister Amit Shah wrote on X.

India’s main opposition Congress party questioned the announcement, saying “the timing right before the elections is evidently designed to polarize the elections.”

Human rights watchdog Amnesty India in a statement called the law “discriminatory” and said it “goes against the constitutional values of equality and international human rights law.” It said the law “legitimizes discrimination based on religion” and is “exclusionary in its structure and intent.”

India is home to 200 million Muslims, who make up a large minority group in the country of more than 1.4 billion people. They are scattered across almost every part of India and have been targeted in a series of attacks that have taken place since Modi first assumed power in 2014.

Critics say Modi’s conspicuous silence over anti-Muslim violence has emboldened some of his most extreme supporters and enabled more hate speech against Muslims.

Modi has increasingly mixed religion with politics in a formula that has resonated deeply with India’s majority Hindu population. In January, he opened a Hindu temple at the site of a demolished mosque in the northern city of Ayodhya, fulfilling his party’s long-held Hindu nationalist pledge.

Most poll surveys suggest Modi will win a majority in a general election that is scheduled to be held by May.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Vermont police search for student who vanished from Middlebury College

Vermont Authorities Intensify Search for Missing Middlebury College Student

Authorities in Vermont have initiated an extensive search for a missing senior…
Los Angeles teacher says ICE agents are 'not the only ones with guns' following shooting of federal agent

Los Angeles Teacher Sparks Controversy with Bold Statement on Guns After ICE Agent Shooting

A Los Angeles high school history teacher, who is a prominent voice…
Woman charged with abandoning newborn child at NYC subway stop

Newborn Found Abandoned at NYC Subway: Woman Faces Charges

Authorities in New York City have apprehended a woman accused of leaving…
Star-studded gala celebrates Misty Copeland as she takes final bow with American Ballet Theatre in NYC

NYC Gala Honors Misty Copeland’s Iconic Farewell with American Ballet Theatre: A Star-Studded Celebration

NEW YORK — Misty Copeland is set to retire her iconic pointe…
Chicago teacher accused of mocking Charlie Kirk’s assassination portrayed as victim by school principal

Chicago Educator Allegedly Mocks Charlie Kirk Assassination, School Principal Defends Her Actions

The principal of a Chicago elementary school appeared to frame a controversial…
Chicago crash: 1 arrested in attempt to hit federal agents in vehicle near Ogden, 26th Street in Little Village, Cicero police say

Chicago Incident: Suspect Arrested in Alleged Vehicle Assault on Federal Agents in Little Village, Cicero

CHICAGO — In a dramatic incident on Chicago’s Southwest Side on Wednesday…
A timeline of US attacks off South America and what Congress has had to say

Exploring the Chronology of U.S. Military Actions off South America: Congressional Insights and Reactions

WASHINGTON (AP) — Over the past two months, President Donald Trump and…
Former ESPN Host Blasts Boy Competing Against Daughter

Ex-ESPN Host Criticizes Boy Competing Against His Daughter in Sports Event

Outrage Erupts as Christian Ponder’s Wife Criticizes Transgender Participation in Girls’ Sports…
Melodee Buzzard: Timeline of investigation into missing 9-year-old girl from Santa Barbara, California

Investigative Timeline: The Disappearance of 9-Year-Old Melodee Buzzard from Santa Barbara, California

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has stepped in to assist in the…
Trucking company owned by illegal immigrant raked in money from taxpayers before fatal crash: records

Records Reveal Taxpayer-Funded Earnings of Immigrant-Owned Trucking Firm Prior to Fatal Accident

EXCLUSIVE TO FOX: Records reveal that an undocumented immigrant in Indiana, recently…
Charlotte man charged with Iryna Zarutska’s killing could face death penalty

Charlotte Resident Faces Potential Death Penalty in Connection with Iryna Zarutska’s Murder

The heart-wrenching case of Iryna Zarutska’s murder has taken a significant legal…
Alaska pilot seeks SCOTUS relief in case in which three beer cases led to forfeiture of $95k plane

Alaska Pilot Appeals to Supreme Court Over $95K Plane Forfeiture Stemming from Three Beer Cases

An 82-year-old bush pilot from Alaska is taking his legal battle to…