The burgeoning nationwide movement against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has just received another shot in the arm with representatives of 16 religious congregations who works with underprivileged communities such as urban and rural poor, Dalits and Adivasis, street children, women in prostitution/sex work, homeless populations, persons with disabilities, etc. have issued a joint statement condemning the CAA. The group had come together in Mumbai recently for a workshop titled ‘Rights-based Advocacy in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals.’
The Justice Coalition of Religious has issued a statement saying, “As citizens deeply committed to a just and rights-based implementation of the SDGs, we strongly oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as unconstitutional and therefore counterproductive with respect to SDG 16. We are also deeply concerned about the negative fallout the proposed all-India-level National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) will have on the people of the country, disproportionately harming the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized and thereby nullifying efforts toward SDG 10 among others.”
Elaborating on how the CAA is violative of Constitutional values the statement says, “When our country became independent in 1947 and when it gave itself a Constitution in 1950, laying the edifice of our proud Republic, it accepted that people of all faiths, creeds, castes, languages, and genders are Indian equally and without discrimination. The CAA is the first instance of religion being overtly used as criterion for citizenship under Indian nationality laws and therefore fundamentally discriminatory and divisive in nature. It is at odds with secular principles enshrined in the Constitution and contradicts Articles 13, 14, 15, 16 & 21, which guarantee to every citizen the right to equality, equality before the law, and non-discriminatory treatment by the State.” The statement also highlights how the law is in contravention of several internationally respected statutes and agreements saying, “The law also undermines India’s commitment to uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and other human rights treaties to which the country is a signatory.”
The statement also calls out the government’s hypocrisy in helping only select few communities and people saying, “The CAA also unfairly disadvantages Muslim groups, such as Hazaras and Ahmadis who have historically faced persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh from seeking refuge in India. It leaves out Sri Lankan Tamils who form the largest refugee group in India residing here for now almost three decades. The CAA also excludes the Rohingya Muslims, the “world’s most persecuted minorities,” from Myanmar with whom we share a border.”
The statement also warns of the unfair burden on the poor and unlettered, “Because birth/identity proof and permanent residence documents remain the privilege of the moneyed and few, a significant percentage of the poor and marginalized, irrespective of faith, lack these documents leaving them out of government schemes. The poor are certain to become enmeshed in an interminable, costly bureaucratic exercise if their citizenship status comes under doubt under the NPR or NRC. The most affected will be women, children, landless labourers, the homeless, transgender persons, urban poor, Adivasis and Dalits. The NPR and NRC exercises will end up disenfranchising many!”
Elaborating on the subject of expenditure and the impact on SDG implementation the statement says, “We are aware that the government is committed to achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 169 associated targets, which comprehensively cover social, economic, and environmental dimensions of development and focus on ending poverty in all its forms and dimensions. The CAA, NPR and NRC will take away precious resources required for the successful, just, rights-based implementation of the SDGs. They will also cause division and disharmony in society, reversing gains made towards the Goals thus far.”
The entire statement may be read here: