Citizenship, Infiltration and NRC

Citizenship has been a contested issue since the formation of nation-states and it remains so even today. It has come to the fore in a very robust way when the SC-mandated and SC-monitored National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam resulted in the listing of 19 lakh persons as 'doubtful citizens'. It is so much flawed that even its protagonists are eager to jettison it. The enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 and the announcement of the ruling party to cover the entire country with NRC by 2024 triggered spontaneous uprisings throughout the country. Almost all the political parties except those in the BJP camp are protesting against the CAA/NPR/NRC matrix of citizenship and many state governments have vowed not to implement them. In view of such widespread protests, an alternative method of preparation of Citizenship Identity Card and Citizenship Register may be thought of.