India and its neighbours

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed that Assam's border with Bangladesh will be completely sealed within a year, the outer limit being by June 2017

Two major decisions by the Indian government are likely to have a bearing on its neighbor and ally Bangladesh.
 The first is about sealing the Indo Bangladesh border and the second is about draft amendments to citizenship law. Under this law, there will be exemption to minority citizens of Pakistan and Bangladesh who have come to India following alleged religious persecution. They will no longer be tagged as illegal migrants.
This follows changes in the Citizenship Act that makes it possible for refugees to remain in India. What makes it more viable is the legal advantage the refugees will accrue once the amendments are incorporated and become a law.  This would then facilitate refugees to remain in India and be eligible for citizenship if and when they desire to lay claim on it. In effect it would mean Hindus back in homeland after being driven out because of hostile conditions.
While this is, on the face of it, a humanitarian move, the politics of it cannot be missed out given the BJP’s pro Hindu stance. This move, when it takes effect, would boost the current dispensation’s pro Hindu stance as also project Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his rule as one which will go lengths to protect and save Hindus. Giving a home to those suffering in other countries simply because they are Hindus would help Modi consolidate his and the party’s image. Add to that, this move will go down well with the RSS agenda gradually converting India into a Hindu rashtra, Hindu nation. Therefore, one cannot and should not miss the politics that comes with the government’s latest bid.
Once implemented, over two lakh Hindus from Pakistan and Bangladesh are likely to benefit. That there are com­plaints of their being treated as “second class citizens” is well known as is their vulnerability to violence. The Govern­ment while it would go down well with the majority community will however irk the minorities and critics hitting out at the BJP’s communal agenda. More importantly, it fits in to the Sangh parivar’s philosophy of India, being a natural home to Hindus without distinction.  
In any case the move is in keeping with the BJP’s manifesto wherein it had promised citizenship to Hindu refugees during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Some steps in this direction include facilitating grant of long-term visas to such refugees until they can be granted citizenship and facilitate the stay of long-term visa holders by offering Aadhaar cards, driving license and PAN cards.
This is just one part. As against this pro Hinduism and Modi government’s bid to cajole Hindus and project itself as a party that understands its aspirations and expectations, the other landmark decision is the government’s announcement, earlier this week,  to seal the Indo Bangladesh border.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed that Assam's border with Bangladesh will be completely sealed within a year, the outer limit being by June 2017. This is in keeping with BJP’s electoral promise in the recently concluded state elections in Assam to check illegal immigration from Bangladesh.
Sarbananda Sonowal, who was sworn in Assam Chief Minister, said that among his two priorities, one is sealing of the borders with Bangladesh.
The government has decided to use technological solutions  to secure sensitive areas along the borders.
This will involve networking of equipments like high resolution cameras, radars, unattended ground sensors, optical fibres, infra red sensors, aerostats, hand-held thermal imagers etc. and integration of these with command and control architecture.
The total length of the Indo-Bangladesh border is 4,096 km of which 284 km falls in Assam.
In a detailed blueprint that the Centre has prepared, manual barriers and check points will be set up at 100 locations while at 22 other locations, which primarily cover the riverine areas, 22 technological barriers will be installed. There is also a move to increasing the border area fund for Northeast from 30 per cent to 45 per cent according to Home Ministry.
The latest move is evidence that the Centre is committed to protect the indigenous people of the Northeast. It is also aimed at curbing illegal influx from Bangladesh, rein in cattle smuggling, combat the proliferation of deadly weapons, drugs and counterfeit currency and the movement of insurgents. Sources said deployment of BSF will also be increased substantially along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam.
 The BJP's election campaign in Assam focused on ending illegal immigration from Bangladesh through a porous border and demographic fault lines in border areas yielded good results for the party, which ended 15 years of Congress rule in the state.
The census shows that the Muslim population rose by nearly six per cent between 2001 and 2011 in Dhubri. Assam, which had six Muslim-majority districts in 2001, had nine in 2011. The BJP’s case is that infiltration
from across the border is why numbers swelled and that plugging gaps in border fencing is the only solution.
Having made the resolve and of course set and announced the deadline, the Government will have to fulfill the promise. It will have to, however, take into account the ground reality of the river changing course, post floods, making it very difficult to erect a permanent boundary. Add to this the fact that many people have farmlands across the fence that may pose a problem.
Ordinarily the BJP may not have set a deadline and may have taken its time to fence the border but having bagged Assam it would not want to lose that advantage. It would rather want a ripple effect when the neighboring north eastern states go for polls a little less than two years from now.  Manipur and Nagaland for instance have been reluctant to embrace the BJP in the past but there could be a change in the mind set after the Assam feat. BJP is aware that it would be watched closely in whatever it does in Assam be it fulfilling promises or pursue the development agenda.
Therefore, it cannot afford to take any chances and would, like any mature party, use the Assam feat to showcase to other north eastern states that it means business. The deadline driven border sealing is the first step in this direction.   

The writer is a senior Indian journalist, political commentator and columnist of The Independent. She can be reached at: ([email protected])

India and its neighbours

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed that Assams border with Bangladesh will be completely sealed within a year, the outer limit being by June 2017

Two major decisions by the Indian government are likely to have a bearing on its neighbor and ally Bangladesh. The first is about sealing the Indo Bangladesh border and the second is about draft amendments to citizenship law. Under this law, there will be exemption to minority citizens of Pakistan and Bangladesh who have come to India following alleged religious persecution. They will no longer be tagged as illegal migrants. This follows changes in the Citizenship Act that makes it possible for refugees to remain in India. What makes it more viable is the legal advantage the refugees will accrue once the amendments are incorporated and become a law. This would then facilitate refugees to remain in India and be eligible for citizenship if and when they desire to lay claim on it. In effect it would mean Hindus back in homeland after being driven out because of hostile conditions. While this is, on the face of it, a humanitarian move, the politics of it cannot be missed out given the BJPs pro Hindu stance. This move, when it takes effect, would boost the current dispensations pro Hindu stance as also project Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his rule as one which will go lengths to protect and save Hindus. Giving a home to those suffering in other countries simply because they are Hindus would help Modi consolidate his and the partys image. Add to that, this move will go down well with the RSS agenda gradually converting India into a Hindu rashtra, Hindu nation. Therefore, one cannot and should not miss the politics that comes with the governments latest bid. Once implemented, over two lakh Hindus from Pakistan and Bangladesh are likely to benefit. That there are complaints of their being treated as second class citizens is well known as is their vulnerability to violence. The Government while it would go down well with the majority community will however irk the minorities and critics hitting out at the BJPs communal agenda. More importantly, it fits in to the Sangh parivars philosophy of India, being a natural home to Hindus without distinction. In any case the move is in keeping with the BJPs manifesto wherein it had promised citizenship to Hindu refugees during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Some steps in this direction include facilitating grant of long-term visas to such refugees until they can be granted citizenship and facilitate the stay of long-term visa holders by offering Aadhaar cards, driving license and PAN cards. This is just one part. As against this pro Hinduism and Modi governments bid to cajole Hindus and project itself as a party that understands its aspirations and expectations, the other landmark decision is the governments announcement, earlier this week, to seal the Indo Bangladesh border. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed that Assams border with Bangladesh will be completely sealed within a year, the outer limit being by June 2017. This is in keeping with BJPs electoral promise in the recently concluded state elections in Assam to check illegal immigration from Bangladesh. Sarbananda Sonowal, who was sworn in Assam Chief Minister, said that among his two priorities, one is sealing of the borders with Bangladesh. The government has decided to use technological solutions to secure sensitive areas along the borders. This will involve networking of equipments like high resolution cameras, radars, unattended ground sensors, optical fibres, infra red sensors, aerostats, hand-held thermal imagers etc. and integration of these with command and control architecture. The total length of the Indo-Bangladesh border is 4,096 km of which 284 km falls in Assam. In a detailed blueprint that the Centre has prepared, manual barriers and check points will be set up at 100 locations while at 22 other locations, which primarily cover the riverine areas, 22 technological barriers will be installed. There is also a move to increasing the border area fund for Northeast from 30 per cent to 45 per cent according to Home Ministry. The latest move is evidence that the Centre is committed to protect the indigenous people of the Northeast. It is also aimed at curbing illegal influx from Bangladesh, rein in cattle smuggling, combat the proliferation of deadly weapons, drugs and counterfeit currency and the movement of insurgents. Sources said deployment of BSF will also be increased substantially along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam. The BJPs election campaign in Assam focused on ending illegal immigration from Bangladesh through a porous border and demographic fault lines in border areas yielded good results for the party, which ended 15 years of Congress rule in the state. The census shows that the Muslim population rose by nearly six per cent between 2001 and 2011 in Dhubri. Assam, which had six Muslim-majority districts in 2001, had nine in 2011. The BJPs case is that infiltration from across the border is why numbers swelled and that plugging gaps in border fencing is the only solution. Having made the resolve and of course set and announced the deadline, the Government will have to fulfill the promise. It will have to, however, take into account the ground reality of the river changing course, post floods, making it very difficult to erect a permanent boundary. Add to this the fact that many people have farmlands across the fence that may pose a problem. Ordinarily the BJP may not have set a deadline and may have taken its time to fence the border but having bagged Assam it would not want to lose that advantage. It would rather want a ripple effect when the neighboring north eastern states go for polls a little less than two years from now. Manipur and Nagaland for instance have been reluctant to embrace the BJP in the past but there could be a change in the mind set after the Assam feat. BJP is aware that it would be watched closely in whatever it does in Assam be it fulfilling promises or pursue the development agenda. Therefore, it cannot afford to take any chances and would, like any mature party, use the Assam feat to showcase to other north eastern states that it means business. The deadline driven border sealing is the first step in this direction. The writer is a senior Indian journalist, political commentator and columnist of The Independent. She can be reached at: ([email protected])