India&#
8217;s ruling Hindu nationalist-led government said Tuesday it was still weighing whether to roll out a nationwide citizenship registry, an exercise it says would weed out illegal foreign nationals, amid ongoing protests against a citizenship law that fast-tracks naturalization for some religious minorities from three neighboring countries but not Muslims. The official statement, made by lawmaker Nityanand Rai in a wri
tten reply to a question in Parliament, is a departure from comments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi´s senior party leaders, including the home minister, Amit Shah. The BJP´s manifesto for the 2019 national elections, which the party won in a landslide victory, also promised the citizenship registry in India. Modi, however, recently backed away from the exercise after public pressure mounted with the passage o
f the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act. Millions of people have demonstrated in India&#
8217;s major cities since the law was passed in December. Opponents o
f the law say it is discriminatory because it excludes Muslims and unconstitutional because it link
s faith to citizenship in a secular country. Critics fear the registry coupled with the new law could leave millions sta
teless, a fear that government officials have dismissed.
