As CAB gets tabled in Rajya Sabha, exclusion of Sri Lankan Tamils causes dismay

Amidst heated debates about contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 (CAB), Sri Lankan Tamils being omitted has raised a furore in Sri Lanka and in Tamil Nu as well.  This comes even as government’s most ardent justification for CAB is protection people who are citizens of neighbouring countries but can trace ir roots back to India and are being persecuted for being religious mirities. 

In Sinhala-Buddist dominated Sri Lanka, Tamils who are predominantly Hindu have been fighting for ir rights and feel furr cornered since Rajapaksa brors have won a landslide victory in recent elections. Along with spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar, several political parties too have been demanding that Sri Lankan refugees too should be given citizenship as per bill. DMK’s demand for inclusion of Sri Lankan Tamils has found support in Shiv Sena and BJD. 

AIMK’s unanimous support for bill, without even raising issue of Sri Lankan Tamils, has been slammed from ir political opponents as well as citizens of Tamil Nu. Reminding m of former CM and ir party President J Jayalalithaa’s promise in 2016 where she has assured that t just will she fight to get dual citizenship for Sri Lankan refugees but also strive to create a separate state for Tamils in Sri Lanka. 

Kamal Haasan's opinion

Actor turned politician Kamal Haasan too questioned exclusion of Sri Lankan Tamils in bill. 'Why are Tamils who are subjected to a methodic gecide and Muslims facing discrimination, be excluded from bill? If it's a genuinely benevolent bill and t a vote garnering exercise, n why won't this CAB stop to pick up stranded Tamils & troubled Muslims of Sri Lanka?, tweeted Makkal Needhi Maiam founder.

Ironically, in 1948, Ceylon Citizenship Bill excluded Tamils originating from south India from citizenry, rendering over 70,000 people without a state. Just between 1983 and 1987, over 1.7 lakh Sri Lankan Tamils sought to live refuge in India to escape brutalities of civil war in ir home country. 

According to official figures provided by India authorities, between July 1983 and August 2012, 304,269 Tamil refugees arrived in Tamil Nu. Several of m have applied for Indian citizenship and are awaiting ir official papers and most of m are given refugee status. y have been living in India, scattered in 109 refugee camps, in a state of limbo for deces w. 

In Sri Lanka, Tamils who are closely watching CAB debates in ir neighbouring country express angst that y will have where to go if current regime in Lanka continues with what y allege are anti-mirity policies. Suguma Tamilarai, an activist from Trincomalee says, ‘our fears have been amplified since Rajapakse bror came back to power in our country but w when we see how even in India, latest bill does t feature us, we feel in subcontinent, re is body we can turn to if even Indian political parties like AIMK don't take up our cause’.