Is India being a soft touch with the CAA? Trump says he will be throwing out ‘illegals’. The UK wants them in Rwanda. But India is accelerating their citizenship! What is going on? What would a master strategist like Chanakya make of this?
Strategic Inclusivity: Chanakya might have seen the CAA as a strategic tool to protect persecuted minorities, aligning with his views on the ruler's duty to provide asylum and protection to those in need. However, he would likely advocate for care that those seeking to purposely misunderstand do not try to create a false narrative based on exclusion on the basis of religion.
State Stability and Security: He may have analysed the CAA from the perspective of state security and stability, considering the implications of integrating refugees and migrants. Chanakya's focus would likely be on ensuring that the process strengthens the state's security apparatus, rather than creating internal divisions or external conflicts. India has taken a risk. One which we know even the United States is not willing to take. But India’s Ministry of External Affairs argues that this openness fits with India’s traditions of inclusivity for the persecuted over centuries from Parsis, Jews, Christians, who all fled to India to avoid persecution.
Economic Implications: With his significant emphasis on the economy and governance, Chanakya would examine the economic impact of the CAA. This includes the process of integrating new citizens into the economy, ensuring they contribute positively and do not burden the state's resources. As Citizens their rights proliferate. Again this is a massive risk for India. But again, India would argue as it grows in wealth, the right thing to do is open it’s doors to the persecuted and take a lead.
Legal and Ethical Framework: While Chanakya was pragmatic, he also valued a strong legal and ethical framework for governance. He might critique the CAA for potentially giving those who seek to make trouble without cause of ammunition for saying the CAA is conflicting with the secular principles of the Indian Constitution, advising that laws should unify rather than divide to maintain the moral authority of the state. But a man of strength of character, Chanakya would say, “do the right thing, not what those without your interests at heart want you to do”.
Public Perception and Diplomacy: Understanding the importance of public perception and diplomacy, Chanakya would likely advise the government to engage in transparent and direct dialogue with both domestic and international communities. He would stress the importance of maintaining India's reputation as a democratic and secular state, suggesting that the Act be positioned within a narrative that emphasizes compassion and strategic foresight rather than exclusion.
