NEW DELHI: Minorities from Afghanistan, such as Sikhs and Hindus, who are living in India, could be provided citizenship even if the amended Citizenship Amendment Act rules take time, National Commission for Minorities chairperson, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, told The New Indian Express in an exclusive interview. Lalpura, who took over as the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) chairperson last month, said that he had raised the issue with Union Home minister Amit Shah, who had assured him that this would be a priority for the Modi government.
“Many Sikhs from Afghanistan, who are living in India, have approached me for help with getting Indian Citizenship. I have spoken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the matter. I have been asked to provide the details of such minorities living in India. The home minister has personally offered to facilitate citizenship for Afghans living in India. He assured me that it would be done even if the amended citizenship act takes time to come into effect, as the new rules for law are still being worked upon. This would be done under the existing rules,” Lalpura said.
A former IPS officer, Lalpura, however, added that if required, he would request the government to make amendments in the existing rules to help maximum minorities from Afghanistan get Indian citizenship.
“Government is working on rules to bring the new citizenship law into effect. If the rules require any changes to help minorities in Afghanistan, we will request the government for the same and we are sure that the government will consider it,” he said.
The NCM chief said that he would also take up the issue of the plight of Sikhs living in Afghanistan with the union ministries of home and external affairs. “Sikhs in Afghanistan are living under threat since the Taliban took over the country. Reports say they are being offered two options — either to convert to Sunni Islam or be ready to face death as punishment. I will raise this with the government soon.”
When asked whether NCM would also request the government to expedite framing of rules for the Citizenship Amendment Act, passed in 2019 that seeks to grant Indian citizenship to six undocumented communities—including Sikhs--from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, Lalpura said he was confident that government would work on expediting it.
The Act, passed amid vociferous protests by many who termed the law as “discriminatory” towards Muslims, is aimed at giving Indian citizenship to six undocumented communities--Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities from the three countries that came to India till December 31, 2014.
Under the existing system, minority communities from the three countries who entered India before Dec 31, 2009 may or may not choose to provide a copy of their passports but they have to provide the date of the visa and may upload the visa in place of the passport while applying for citizenship.
Lalpura also revealed that a team from NCM would visit Lakhimpur Kheri in view of the October 3 violence which left eight people dead. Four Sikh farmers and a journalist were allegedly mowed down by a convoy of vehicles led by Ashish Mishra, the son of union home minister of state Ajay Mishra. Angry farmers then allegedly lynched two BJP workers and Mishra’s driver.
“I will meet the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and people in Lakhimpur Kheri to ascertain the situation there. All minorities should feel safe and secure in every part of the country,” Lalpura said.
When asked about the rise in targeted violence against minorities—particularly against Christians and Sikhs—in recent years, Lalpura denied it and said a “false narrative” was being created to tarnish the country’s image.
“Our priority is to remove all fears from the hearts of minorities and expose the false narrative that India is not safe for minorities. We are here to protect the rights of India’s six notified minorities--Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains, promote education among them, give them employment and protect their culture," Lalpura said while admitting that while various government schemes are to this end, the implementation on the ground leaves much to be desired.
Lalpura claimed that looking at statistics, the figures of crimes against minorities such as rioting, murder and lynching have come down.
Lalpura’s remarks come amid widespread criticism of the government, from the opposition and civil society members, for the reported hate-crimes targeting minorities having gone up since 2014 when the BJP government led by Narendra Modi first came to power.
When asked about the underrepresentation of minorities in the central government, particularly of Muslims in the legislature, Lalpura, who has served as BJP spokesperson in Punjab, said that tickets are given solely on the "winnability" factor.
“Tickets are not given on the basis of religion, caste or creed. We should not think along these lines. The purpose should be to unite the country and not to divide it along religious lines,” he said.
He also spoke in favour of the contentious farm laws against which farmers from across the country have been protesting for nearly a year now. “The Supreme Court has put the laws on hold and the government has been holding repeated discussions with them. I do not see reasons for the protest to continue,” Lalpura said.
The NCM chief also blamed protesting farmers for the lynching of Lakhbir Singh at the Singhu border on October 12. “Why are farmer leaders not condemning the lynching at the Singhu border? In fact, they should take moral responsibility for the murder of Lakhbir Singh. They have called everyone there to sit in protest. It is a very sad incident that has tarnished the image and character of the Sikh religion. There should be a thorough investigation in the matter and all those involved should be punished.”
Asked about his view on anti-conversion laws by states such as Uttar Pradesh, Lalpura said there should be no forced conversions or conversions through inducements. He added that as the NCM chief, he would take up the matter of forced conversions with people from all communities as the responsibility to fix this problem also lies with the religious leaders. “All religions are inherently peaceful and promote the message of love. No religion can be imposed on anyone. This is unacceptable,” he said.