India to enforce migrant law excluding Muslims

India’s government has said it will implement legislation granting citizenship to persecuted minorities from three neighbouring countries – unless they are Muslims.

The Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 grants Indian nationality to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs and Parsi immigrants who came to India from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan before the end of 2014.

But the law excludes Muslims, leading to claims that the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party is seeking to be divisive ahead of the coming national elections, expected to be held by May.

On Monday, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced rules that would allow people who are eligible under the act to apply for Indian citizenship.

The ministry said a web portal had been launched for applicants who entered India before 2015 to apply.

The legislation was first passed by the Indian parliament in December 2019. It led to months-long protests over claims it was discriminatory and went against India’s officially secular constitution.

At least 100 people were killed in violent clashes across several cities.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP politicians called protesters “anti-nationals” and “traitors”.

The legislation had been on hold since early 2020 after the outbreak of the pandemic.

“The timing right before the elections is evidently designed to polarise the elections,” said Jairam Ramesh, an MP from the Indian National Congress Party.

The government was seeking to distract voters from the Supreme Court scrapping of the electoral bonds system that allowed parties to receive donations anonymously, he said.