The Economist - USA (2019-07-13)

14 Leaders The EconomistJuly 13th 2019

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mitshah,India’shomeminister,callsthem“termites”and

“infiltrators”.Thegovernmentwill huntthemdownand

throwthemintothesea,hethunders.Unfortunately,itisnot

justthestandardblusterfroma nativistpoliticianrailingagainst

illegalimmigration.LastyearbureaucratsintheIndianstateof

Assam,whichhasa populationofabout33mpeople,produceda

listofmorethan4mofitsresidentswhomtheyconsiderfor-

eigners,withoutanyrighttolivethere.A further100,000people

weredeemednon-citizensinJune(seeAsiasection).

MrShahinsiststhatallthesepeoplewillbedeported.Inprac-

tice,neighbouringBangladesh,fromwhichtheyaresaidtohave

migrated,willnotacceptthem,sinceinmostcasesthereisno

evidencethattheyareanythingotherthanIndianstoopoorand

uneducatedtonavigate thecomplexbureau-

cracyofcitizenship.Butevenifthethreatened

massdeportationsnevertakeplace,theprocess

ofdeclaringpeoplealiens,andhaulinglotsof

themofftointernmentcamps,isnotonlya rank

injustice,butalsoa threattostability.Thesup-

posedillegalimmigrants areoverwhelmingly

Muslim.The purgeis therefore exacerbating

sectariantension in astate that saw bloody

Hindu-Muslimriotsasrecentlyas2012,whensome400,

peopleweredisplaced.YetMrShahconsidersthecampaignin

Assamagainstillegalimmigrantssucha successthathewantsto

replicateit throughouttheentirecountry.

IndigenousAssamesehavelongcomplainedthattheyarebe-

ingswampedintheirownhomelandbymigrantsfromBengal,

thedenselypopulatedregiontothesouth(seeAsiasection).In

colonialtimes,therewassuchaninflux,sincetherewerenobor-

derstostoppoorBengalismovingnorthinsearchofa betterlife.

Assamesenationalists,pointingtoBengalis’everhighershareof

thestate’spopulation,insisttheflowofmigrantscontinuesto

thisday,eventhoughtheMuslimpartofBengalhasbecomea

separatecountry,Bangladesh.

Muslimsmakeupa thirdofAssam’spopulation.Thestate’s

shiftingdemographyismainlytheresultofa higherbirthrate

amongBengalisalreadyinAssam,notmigration.Butthathas

notstoppedtheBharatiyaJanataParty(bjp),whichdominates

boththestateandnationalgovernments,fromvowingtocollar

lotsofillegalimmigrants.Andsincesofewofthemexist,more

hadtobeinvented.

Thelawthegovernmentiseagerlyenforcingrequiresallresi-

dentstoprovethattheyortheirforebearswereinthestateby

March24th1971.Thatisa bighurdleforpoorfarmersanditiner-

antworkers,especiallywomen,manyofthemilliterate.Sus-

pectscanbedenouncedasnon-citizensbyanonymoustips,an

invitationtoabuse.Therehavebeenlotsofmistakes,suchasa

decoratedwarherowhowasdeclarednottobe

Indian.Roughly60%ofthosefoundnottobe

citizensatthe 100 “foreigners’tribunals” the

stategovernmentissettingupwerenoteven

presentfortheproceedings.Some3.7mofthe

4mpeopledeclaredillegalimmigrantsarechal-

lenging their designation. There has been a

spateofsuicidestiedtoadverserulings.

Worse,likesomanyofthebjp’s schemes,the

huntforillegalimmigrantsisopenlyanti-Muslim.SomeHindus

havebeencaughtinthedragnet,butMrShahsaystheydonot

needtoworry,sincethegovernmenthasdrafteda billtomakeit

easyforHindurefugeestoclaimcitizenship.Christian,Bud-

dhist,Jain,ParsiandSikhrefugeescantoo—justnotMuslims.

Anythingthatpolarisesvotersbyreligionbenefitsthebjp, es-

peciallyinnearbyWestBengal,whereMuslimsareovera quarter

ofthepopulationandthebjpislockedina politicalknife-fight

witha regionalpartyitaccusesofcoddlingMuslims,theTrina-

moolCongress.WestBengalisoneoftheplaceswhereMrShah

hasrailedagainsttermites.Butitisnotphantomforeigners,

ratherthebjp, throughitsstirringofsectariantensions,thatis

gnawingawayatthefoundationsofIndiandemocracy. 7

Show me your papers

MYANMAR

BHUTAN

BayofBengal

NEPAL

BANGLADESH

INDIA

Assam

West

Bengal

India’s hunt for “illegal immigrants” is aimed at Muslims, many of them citizens

Citizenship in India

O

n july 8 th euro-zone watchers breathed a sigh of relief. The

zone’s 19 finance ministers backed the European Commis-

sion’s decision that Italy should not be penalised for allowing its

public-debt burden to rise in 2018 in violation of the eu’s fiscal

rules. Thanks to savings of 0.4% of gdpfor the current year, cob-

bled together by Italy’s governing coalition, a damaging confron-

tation seems to have been resolved.

In truth, however, it has merely been postponed. The grim re-

ality of Italy’s public finances remains unchanged. Its deficit is

on course to exceed the eu’s threshold of 3% of gdpin 2020, its

debt is sky high and, worst of all, it is plagued by a persistent ab-

sence of growth. If Italy is to dispel the ever-present air of crisis, a

much more far-sighted deal will be needed.

Since the euro was introduced, over 20 years ago, Italy has

steadily fallen behind the rest of Europe. The average citizen in

Germany, France and Spain is a fifth better off, in real terms, than

in 1999; incomes in eastern Europe have more than doubled. But

the average Italian is no richer.

Dissatisfaction at this record has been skilfully converted

into votes by Italy’s government, an unwieldy coalition between

the Northern League and the Five Star Movement. The League’s

leader, Matteo Salvini, has been able to whip up anger against

The most dangerous man in Europe

How to defuse the threat Matteo Salvini poses to the euro

Italy’s public finances