Adding to the heated exchange of words between Delhi and Washington over the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the Chair of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee has questioned the timing of the Modi government’s decision. In a statement issued in Washington on Monday, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin said that he was “deeply concerned” by the Indian government’s decision to notify the “controversial” CAA and its “potential ramifications” for India’s Muslim community.
“Making matters worse is the fact that it is being pushed during the holy month of Ramadan (Ramzan). As the U.S.-India relationship deepens, it is critically important that our cooperation is based on our shared values of protecting the human rights of all persons, regardless of religion.”
Eye on India
The MEA declined to comment on the remarks by the U.S. Senator, who most recently was in the news for placing a temporary hold on a US Congress notification for the sale of 31 MQ-9B armed drones to India, over the issue of the alleged plot to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Mr. Cardin removed his hold only after he said he received assurances that the US government would ensure a thorough investigation and full cooperation from New Delhi into allegations that a senior Indian official had overseen a plan to hire a hitman to kill Mr. Pannun.
Explained | Citizenship Amendment Act: Legal issues and status of judicial proceedings
Last week the MEA had responded sharply to the U.S. State department statement on the notification of rules for the CAA, passed in 2019, which provides a fast track to citizenship for people of all religions except Muslims, who fled persecution from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh and arrived in India prior to December 31, 2014. In response to the US State department’s concerns and the need for the “equal treatment under the law for all communities” in democracies, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said there were no grounds for concern on the treatment of minorities in India, calling the US spokespersons comments “misplaced, misinformed and unwarranted”, and accusing the US administration of practicing “vote bank politics”.
Another exchange was witnessed over the weekend, as both U.S. Ambassador Eric Garcetti and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke at the same conclave organised by the India Today group. Mr. Garcetti’s contention, when asked about the Indian pushback to the US on the CAA was that one cannot give up on principles, “no matter how close you are as friends”. In response, Mr. Jaishankar said that “I have principles too, and one of them is obligation to people who were let down at the time of Partition,” referring to those Indian minorities who remained in Pakistan and Bangladesh post-1947 but subsequently fled to India.
