Assam’s NRC has echoes of Europe’s refugee crisis

Despite efforts, the EU hasn’t resolved the crisis. Leading up to the polls, a political consensus may elude India too

In a strange way, the debate on Assam’s draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) is echoing some of the tensions recently witnessed in the context of the refugee crisis in Europe. Although the history and contexts are different, the politics and possible solutions surrounding the issue are not entirely dissimilar. In the midst of arguments concerning “illegal migrants” and “infiltration”, Bengal chief minister Mamata Benerjee is emerging as a strong leader in India. This is similar to the way German chancellor Angela Merkel stood firmly in Europe.

Despite having a number of agreements with third countries and committing huge resources, the European Union (EU) is not able to deport any significant number of migrants. The 2016 EU-Turkey migration agreement included Euro three billion in aid and easier visa restrictions to 75 million Turks. The results are very modest so far and chaotic migration towards Europe has not stopped. When India does not have even an agreement with Bangladesh, hardly anything could be achieved on that front. Some analysts are suggesting that once we know the final numbers of ‘illegal migrants”, they could be distributed among different states. Despite having a Common European Asylum System, many countries within the EU have been opposed to accepting refugees from Greece and Italy. In India, it could be opening another Pandora’s box. It is not that only Assam has a migration problem. Many other states have also received millions of migrants. So in this case, Assam may also need to receive migrants from other states.

Despite the Assam Accord, if we are not able to tackle just Assam problem in decades, is it feasible to expect any national policy in near future? The issue has been made more complicated with linking it with the pending Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016, which excludes Muslims from neighbouring countries. Even in Europe, some politicians were talking of accepting only Christians or nonMuslim migrants. Despite making some headlines, this never made it in to any policy agenda. In India with a huge Muslim minority, this will only vitiate political atmosphere. It may not be acceptable even to the Assamese elite. Despite a mature institutional framework and resources, the EU has not still been able to find a reasonable and acceptable solution. One of the main reasons for this has been rising graph of right-wing parties. In an election year in India, a sober political consensus on Assam’s migration is hardly expected. The only saving grace is that complexity of Assam’s migration issue may push us for a meaningful debate in the coming months.