Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state is in the headlines again for all the right reasons. On 22nd June, the Ahmedabad district authorities awarded 90 Hindu refugees from Pakistan with Indian citizenship. The refugees had been living in the state for years after having fled Pakistan due to threats to their lives and livelihood. Ahmedabad District Collector Vikrant Pandey himself handed over the certificates of Indian citizenship to the refugees. The certificates were issued in accordance with the provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955. Awarding Indian citizenship to the Hindu refugees became possible for the District authority because of the Central government’s decision in 2016, which decentralised the process of granting citizenship to the minority communities of other countries. DC Vikrant Pandey said,“In 2016, the Centre had decentralised the process of issuing citizenship to the minority communities, such as the Hindus and the Sikhs, of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan,”
The power to confer Indian citizenship was given to the District Collectors of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Kutch in Gujarat via a gazette notification issued in December 2016 by the PM Modi government. The beneficiaries of the Indian citizenship can now apply for Aadhar, passport and all other benefits which are reserved for Indian citizens. Their names would also be added to the electoral rolls and they would be entitled to cast their vote. By granting 90 certificates of citizenship Ahmedabad has become the leader in giving Indian citizenships to the refugees of minority religions such as Hindus and Sikhs from Pakistan and Afghanistan. “Since 2016, the Ahmedabad district collectorate has awarded citizenship to 320 people. No other district in the country has awarded these many certificates of citizenship. Ninety per cent of the 320 applicants were from Pakistan, while the rest were from Bangladesh,” Pandey clarified. The refugees expressed their gratitude and went on to recount their horrific past in Pakistan which had led to them fleeing the country.
For far too long liberals and communists in the country have kept on demanding citizenship for the illegal migrants from Bangladesh and other countries. Granting them residential status would have been a victory for them as their vote banks would have definitely increased due to this. Ahmedabad District authorities have shown that they believe in granting rights to the people who need it gravely rather than to those who come up and try to disturb the social fabric of the country. Meeraben Maheshwari (70), a refugee who was given Indian citizenship recounted her experiences from the Sindh province before migrating to India years ago. She claimed that her daughter was abducted and converted to Islam. “My daughter was abducted by Muslims, who converted her. Though I had approached a court there, she was never found. The locals forcibly took possession of our house and shop. I was left with no other option but migrate here.” There are thousands of people like Meeraben who have suffered countless horrific instances. They need all the welcome and care which if left to psedu-seculars, would be passed on to radical elements. The BJP government has tried to make a shift to the policy of granting rights to the troubled Hindus from around the globe who are facing persecution. This is a small victory for the worldwide Hindu community which can think of coming to India in case of a threat. The other authorities should take a lesson from the Ahmedabad District authority and learn a thing or two about real secularism from them.