Reportedly earlier on tuesday, mamata banerjee made a startling comment that underlines the way the ideological war, ahead of 2021 assembly elections in West bengal, may shape up. Speaking at a rally in Kaliaganj, she said all Bangladeshis living in the state are indian citizens. The implications of this statement cannot be overstated.
In advocating for a de facto open border with bangladesh, mamata has ended up undermining India's sovereignty and the right of a nation to determine who to allow and not to allow to settle and enjoy the rights and benefits of being an indian citizen. Such rights are guaranteed by the Constitution, but this guarantee extends to rightful citizens of the country, not illegal immigrants. No nation in the world allows unfettered entry of illegal migrants because a nation's citizens have the first right to its resources.
In the US, for example, Donald Trump's immigration policy protects American workers, taxpayers, and sovereignty. In the UK which has severed ties with the european union through Brexit the Boris Johnson government has tweaked immigration laws to keep out low-skilled workers and allow only high-skilled immigrants through a point-based system not unlike that of Australia. To understand the impulses at work that prompted mamata to make such a statement, we need to put her comments in context of her opposition to the Centre's Citizenship Amendment Act.
