OPINION: CAB Not Based On Religious Intolerance, Has Nothing To Do With India’s Muslims

The Modi 2.0 goverment’s stunning series of legislative changes did not end with the commemoration of its six months in office last month. Following the amendments to Triple Talaq and Article 370, and the Supreme Court’s long awaited verdict on Ayodhya, the Citizenship Amendment Bill has stirred the same kind of response.

Almost on cue, left-liberal circles have reacted with apoplectic rage and a variety of accusations, including outlandish claims of the end of democracy. This last is odd, considering that the bill’s passage was possible due to a majority in Parlia­ment, elected on a manifesto committing to these changes. All these emotive reactions are rooted in a certain political calculus, albeit a failing one. Such accusations must be answered not with equal and opposite emotions, but rationally.

First, the allegation that the CAB is based on religious intolerance is not...