Beyond the Poll Rhetoric of BJP’s Contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been raising the issue of illegal immigration from Bangladesh for a long time now, identifying itself with the “anti-foreigners agitation” in Assam in the 1980s. The party has recently amplified its position, twin-tagging the issue of illegal immigration from Bangladesh with a promise to update the National Register of Citizens, and amend the Citizenship Act to grant citizenship to Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and Christians fleeing religious persecution in India’s neighbourhood while excluding any mention of Muslims as beneficiaries of the proposed law. Is the BJP’s increased tenor on illegal immigration mere poll rhetoric, or does the party have a plan?