CITIZENSHIP CONUNDRUM

“Your passport is just a travel document, not a proof of your citizenship,” so says the constitution apparently. Well, to be honest, this hullabaloo is being created by that minuscule section (about 7%) of the population which proudly flaunts a passport but normally avoid voting in the elections. They need not be worried as no one is going to deport them either. Notwithstanding what exactly is the proof that we as citizens must have? 

I am told birth certificate serves as a proof. Now that is very interesting, as when I tried to look for my birth certificate, I found it does not mention any name, just son/daughter born to name of the parent, so it was, for anyone born in the fifties and sixties in India. The same kind of certificate was issued for both my kids as well, who were born in the nineties. This birth certificate serves no purpose without the name, as it could be claimed by just about anyone. When my son was proceeding to France for his research fellowship, the University wanted his birth certificate, sure enough, it was rejected. Guess what, the good old Part II order of the birth of my son, published by my unit, did the trick. The document was immediately accepted and his case was cleared. Generally outside India, Armed Forces documentations are not only considered valid, but are given more credence. Now getting back to why were the names not endorsed on the certificates, generally  the birth/death is supposed to be reported promptly on occurrence. The ‘namkaran’ samsakar (ceremony) follows later, so naturally certificate bearing no names are issued, although I believe now names are endorsed in the certificate.

We Indians take pride in the number of cards that we can get hold of, and our venerated babus are always on the lookout to introduce newer ones to keep all of us engaged and amused. When Aadhaar was introduced, one thought this would be the universal document, a panacea of sorts, acceptable for all official documentation requirements. It could have evolved into one such singular card, but for the  prevalent corruption, where the sanctity  of the document has been severely compromised. So we have a PAN card for Income Tax, Passport for travel, Aadhaar for address and identity, voter ID for elections , driving licence and something called a Samgra ID here in MP, which is for the centralised database for welfare schemes. We in the Armed Forces have also been keeping up with the civilians, and match them card for card, so here goes, an ECHS card for healthcare, a Veteran’s Card as a proof of having served the nation, a Zila Sainik Board Card, DSOI Card, Gymkhana membership card, and the much sought after Canteen Card for purchase of groceries and liquor. Obviously submerged under these plethora of cards, we also need to ensure their safekeeping to prevent their misuse, so invariably we place them in secure vaults and forget where we place the keys or the pin. The better part of the day is spent looking for it, thus keeping ourselves busy day in and day out. Of course there are multitudes of Credit and Debit cards which find their way into the wallet, making it seem rather bulky and a lucrative target for pickpockets, who realise much to their chagrin that most of these are worthless plastic and no real cash whatsoever.

But the issue of citizenship is  a serious one and needs to be addressed on priority, without any prejudices and in a bipartisan manner. Unfortunately National Registry for Citizenship (NRC) is looked at suspiciously by the opposition as they are apprehensive that it will specifically target the Muslim community which is a major vote bank for them. Be rest assured even these parties have no love lost for minorities, it is just votes which concerns them. Frankly, we can’t even put ourselves in their shoes, as the apprehensions of the minorities are not misplaced. Having seen the state of governance in the country, where no department is corruption free, getting hold of any kind of document for a price is not a difficult task. We have just undergone the SIR process, and yes, it was a tedious one but we did manage to get our names included in the Voter’s List. You may like to read about the details of my experiences here (https://thesuyashsharma.com/to-sir-with-love-2/). 

The govt must start by reassuring all the residents irrespective of their religion or their claims to citizenship, that they will not be deported from the country. Thereafter follow a rigorous corruption free process (tall order!!), which could coincide with the ongoing census itself for completing the NRC. Once we have ascertained these details, those who have not been able to furnish the required documents, should be provided with temporary documents for the day to day routine requirements, with adequate time given for furnishing the details. There will be many thousands or may be lakhs, who may not be able to get anything as a proof. They must be provided with a work permit kind of a card. Once the threat of deportation is eliminated, we can hope that people will be more honest and forthcoming. Deportation is what scares them and honestly despite all the noises, how many have finally been deported so far? The numbers tell the story. So improve vigilance, provide that work permit to the immigrants to prevent illegal immigration, thus rooting out this vote bank politics. Ours is a growing economy, with no dearth of manpower but we will still need this human resource for all kinds of unskilled jobs as well, where they can be utilised gainfully. 

Last but not the least, we need not worry, as most of us can’t be deported anywhere else, as who will accept us, so in the worst case, we will be like the mythological character Trishanku, who was neither on the earth not in the heaven, but somewhere in between forever!