New Delhi: Much to India’s surprise, the US Congress has not just raised the issue of continued restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir, but also of the National Register of Citizens in Assam, in a discussion about the condition of minority communities in India, especially Muslims.
The US Congress Tuesday asked a significant number of questions on the publication of the final draft of the NRC in Assam.
In her opening remarks, Alice Wells, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asian Affairs said, “We encourage the Government of India to fully uphold the universal right to religious freedom; protect vulnerable individuals, including the 1.9 million people in Assam at risk of statelessness because of questions about their citizenship; condemn all incidents of violence; and hold perpetrators accountable.”
Tough questioning
Wells and Robert Destro, the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, were asked some sharp questions by members of both the Republican and Democratic Parties.
Destro said the NRC exercise is being “closely” monitored by the State Department, and that it has urged India to take human rights issues into consideration.
Republican Ted Yoho asked both Wells and Destro if Muslims and Sikhs were being treated unfairly, to which Destro replied that “India’s Constitution provides for secularism and we want the same to continue.”
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar from Minnesota asked whether the US government was taking up the NRC issue in a stronger way. “Are we waiting for Muslims in Assam to be put in detention?” she asked.
Wells replied that the judicial process was still open and available to all those who are affected by the decision, and that the “Indian institutions still working”.
Destro also mentioned the Citizenship Amendment Bill in an answer, saying it gives a presumption of citizenship to some religious groups and leaves Muslims out.
Brad Sherman, chair of the sub-committee on South Asia within the US Congress, who is also democratic co-chair of the India Caucus, said on the NRC issue that “human rights abuse doesn’t cease to be human rights abuse just because it is consistent with law”.
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Is India on the back foot?
Experts say the NRC and Article 370 are both India’s internal matters, but their implementation will be monitored and questioned.
According to a former Ambassador of India to the US, who did not wish to be named, when it comes to human rights, the US Congress, which has an oversight function with the US administration, can raise any issue.
Former diplomat Rakesh Sood added, “The US House sub-committee is discussing the condition of minorities and their human rights, be it under NRC or Article 370 or another provision. These concerns arise from decisions India has taken domestically. The Indian government has to implement these decisions properly so that concerns are adequately addressed and minorities feel that their human rights are safeguarded.
“It is up to the government to be able to address these issues to the satisfaction of the minorities in India. The US has taken cognisance of NRC and Article 370 because concerns about their implementation have been raised in the Indian media and in Parliament,” Sood said.
“The Indian government needs to ensure that the NRC exercise and Article 370 are administered in a manner where perceptions that human rights are violated or rights of minorities are impacted are not generated at home among our own citizens.”
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