Made by Saurabh Chandra, this FAQ answers: - What is CAA? - I heard it will help persecuted Hindus in Pakistan, is that true? - Why is this based on religion? What if someone is an Atheist? - Should we not help persecuted people who have come to India? - CAA may be selective on which illegal migrant to include but why does it bother Indians? - What is the link to NRC? - Why are so many Indian Muslims opposing it? - What about outside Assam or Bengal? Won’t a Hindu in Tamil Nadu face the same issue as a Muslim? - I am a BJP supporter, why should it bother me?

1. CAA/NRC FAQ
Educate yourself
(and your friends)

2. What is CAA?
Citizenship Amendment Act says that illegal migrants in India who came
before 2014 from Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghanistan and belong to one of
these religions: Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian, will be made
legal. They will also have an accelerated path to citizenship of 5yrs instead
of 11yrs.

3. I heard it will help persecuted Hindus in Pakistan, is
that true?
No. As of now, it is only for illegal migrants who came to India before Dec
2014. It does not apply to anyone who is outside India. Hindus who are
currently in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and want to migrate to
India will not be covered.

4. Why is this based on religion? What if someone is an
Atheist?
Right now the act doesn’t include atheists or anyone not belonging to the
specific religions mentioned. Atheists are highly persecuted in both
Bangladesh and Pakistan.
People could also be persecuted due to gender, political beliefs or caste.
There are also illegal migrant women and children in India who were
trafficked by mafia. Religion is a bad category to use given persecution on
many dimensions. It is also against the tenets of the constitution.
One can easily say all persecuted people and it will also include the specific
religions. One could exclude people based on background verification tests
for records of violence for example.

5. Should we not help persecuted people who have
come to India?
We should and we always have.
- 4 lakh Hindus from Sri Lanka have been settled (MEA FAQ)
- 95,000 Tibetans live in India (CTA survey 2009)
- 18,000 Afghan refugees are in India (MEA 2011)
Union govt has enough discretion to settle anyone who applies and we have
done it.

6. CAA maybe selective on which illegal migrant to
include but why does it bother Indians?
It is a matter of principle. Linking citizenship to religion even for a small set
of people sets a precedent that is bad. One can do background verifications
to make sure unwanted immigrants don’t enter rather than classify them on
religion.
In this modern world where many people are choosing to be of no religion or
are children of mixed religion parents, this is really unfair.

7. What is the link to NRC?
The CAA has come after the National Registry of Citizens exercise has failed
in Assam. NRC wants to make a full registry of genuine citizens. To be a
genuine citizen you have to prove you were born in India before 1987 or if
after 1987, not just you but one of your parent should also be born in India.
Aadhaar and Passport were not valid documents for the same.
This led to 19 Lakh people identified (nearly 12 Lakh hindus in that) who
were deemed not citizen. This even included Kargil war veterans! In India it is
common to have paperwork errors where spellings don’t match or papers
are simply not available. CAA was created as a response to make sure
specific religions get relief from being classified non-citizens.

8. Why are so many Indian Muslims opposing it?
In the Assam NRC, the CAA has been promised as a way for all
non-muslims to get relief. There is no proof required to show a person is
from Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghanistan. Just the person’s religion is
enough. Such a relief doesn’t exist for Muslims who maybe wrongly
classified as illegal even if they are Indian citizens but don’t have the
documents to prove it. Now imagine, this applied all over India.

9. What about outside Assam or Bengal? Won’t a Hindu
in Tamil Nadu face the same issue as a Muslim?
Yes, outside of places where people can claim to be from Bangladesh or
Pakistan there is no difference in the problems a genuine Indian citizen who
is wrongly classified will face. That is why opposition to CAA/NRC is across
communities. This is not an issue specific to Muslims. It will affect all
Indians.

10. I am a BJP supporter, why should it bother me?
It should bother every Indian. The NRC exercise will be conducted by state
governments. The union government itself can change over time. By giving
such powers to the government of deciding whether you are a citizen, you
are putting yourself at the mercy of any petty official who chooses to harass
you or a future government who may not be your favorite.
Thousands of villagers recently were charged with sedition (desh droh),
simply for opposing land acquisition. Governments have a record of using
the worst weapon they have against its own citizens. It is our duty to make
sure we safeguard ourselves and our children against future governments.
Oppose this even if you like the current government.