New Delhi, Dec 15 (IANS): As soon as the Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed in both houses of Parliament and given Presidential assent making it a law, loud murmurs started about another proposed legislation -- a nationwide NRC. So what is the NRC that the opposition is worried about and has many concerned?

What is NRC?

NRC is the National Register of Citizens. The NRC identified and eliminated illegal immigrants from Assam on the Supreme Court's order. This has been a state-specific exercise to keep its ethnic uniqueness unaltered.

But ever since its implementation, there has been a growing demand for its nationwide implementation. Now, many top BJP leaders including Home Minister Amit Shah have proposed that the NRC in Assam be implemented across India. It effectively suggests to bring a legislation that will enable the government to identify infiltrators who have been living in India illegally, detain them and finally to deport them where they came from.

Who stands to lose?

The proposed Bill, which till now remains just a proposal, if implemented will target illegal immigrants in India. But Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhist, Jains and Parsis coming from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh won't be affected, if they claim they have arrived India after fleeing religious persecution.

Which essentially means, if a nationwide NRC comes in as proposed, any illegal immigrant from other than Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, will be affected. And as for those three nations, people coming from there who belong to the Muslim community will also be affected as they are not included in the Citizenship Amendment Act.

What will happen to the affected?

As proposed, if a nationwide NRC comes in place, the affected will be detained and taken to large detention centres, as it is happening in Assam. After that, the Ministry of External Affairs will get in touch with the nations concerned.

If the details of the detained are matched and accepted by the nations concerned, deportations will follow.

The politics of NRC

BJP chief Shah has been raising the pitch for a nationwide NRC for some time now. As late as this October, Shah raised the matter in West Bengal, not far from Assam. He had said: "We had brought the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha, but the TMC MPs did not allow the Upper House to function. They did not allow the bill to be passed, and due to this, there are people in our country who are yet to get the Indian citizenship."

In Haryana, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar too made the promise of bringing the NRC in the state during his election campaigning. Even Mohan Bhagwat, the RSS supremo has been pitching for the same, though behind closed doors.

Whether a nationwide NRC will come in place or not is a premature question to answer. But going by the speed the government is moving in bringing some rather bold legislations, like abrogation of Article 370 in the monsoon session of Parliament and CAB in the winter session, a pan-India NRC Bill in the next Parliament session won't be a farfetched idea.

CAA and NRC: The Difference

With the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 turning into an Act, there's a sense of confusion among many that the CAA and NRC will deny citizenship to certain existing Indian citizens or it is against Indian Muslims. On the contrary, the two - one now an Act, and the other a proposal, are as different as chalk and cheese.

CAA driven by religion, NRC not:

The Citizenship Amendment Act is based on religion, with a thrust on exclusion of Muslims from those immigrants from India's three Muslim-majority neighbours -- Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan -- seeking India's citizenship. But National Register of Citizens is not based on religion. It seeks to detect any illegal immigrant, regardless of their caste, creed or religion and detain and eventually deport them.

NRC limited to Assam, CAA nationwide:

Inspite of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's repeated claims, the fact remains that the NRC exercise, as of today, remains a state-specific exercise. The NRC, identified and detained illegal immigrants from Assam, on Supreme Court's order, to keep its ethnic uniqueness unaltered. It does not apply anywhere apart from the state.

While the Citizenship Amendment Act is a nationwide Act and will be implemented across India. Though many chief ministers have voiced their opinion to block the law in their states, constitutional experts believe the Centre is likely to have the last word on its implementation.

Not against Indian Muslims:

There is a perception that has gathered steam that the CAA will deny rights to Indian Muslims. The truth is, the Act can't do it even if anyone tries to. This perception is due to a connection made between CAA and proposed nationwide NRC.

While the CAA makes it easier for the non-Muslim immigrants from India's three Muslim-majority neighbours -- Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan -- to become citizens of India, it cannot take away the citizenship of Indian Muslims. Even a proposed pan-India NRC can only detect illegal immigrants and detain them, who can be from any faith. Moreover the nationwide NRC is still at a proposal stage.

United in protest, not in purpose:

There are two kinds of protests that are taking place across India right now against the Citizenship Amendment Act. In the northeast, the protest is against the Act's implementation in their area. Most of them fear, if implemented, a rush of immigrants may alter their demographic and linguistic uniqueness.

In the rest of India, like in Kerala, West Bengal and in Delhi, people are protesting against the exclusion of Muslims, alleging it to be against the ethos of the Constitution. But this protest, unlike in the northeast, is primarily driven by the fear that the CAA will work against Indian Muslims, which in turn stems from the flawed linking of the Act with NRC.

Violent protest has broken out in different parts of India. Casualties reported from Assam to railway stations set on fire in West Bengal - India has seen it all in the last few days. But much of it is believed to have happened due to mistaking one for the other.