Modi’s party will take tougher line on immigration

Subject

NRC update in Assam.

Significance

Late last month, a draft update of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam state excluded around 4 million of nearly 32 million applicants as part of efforts to curb illegal migration. Many of the excluded are thought to be Bengali-speaking Muslims who migrated from Bangladesh after the start of the country’s liberation war in 1971. Assam is governed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will seek a second term in next year’s general election.

Impacts

• India may seek to relocate its Muslim Rohingya refugees to the Bangladesh border, further straining relations with Dhaka.
• The government’s position on immigration is likely to draw criticism from human rights groups.
• Outbreaks of low-level Hindu-Muslim violence are likely across several states prior to the general election.