US Senator Ben Cardin has expressed concern over the Indian government's rollout of rules for the enforcement of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), emphasizing the importance of cooperation between Washington and New Delhi based on shared values of safeguarding human rights regardless of religion.
Cardin, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, voiced his apprehension regarding the potential ramifications of the CAA on India's Muslim community, particularly noting the timing of its implementation during the holy month of Ramadan.
He stressed the need for the US-India relationship to be founded on shared values of protecting the human rights of all individuals, irrespective of their religion.
Cardin's remarks coincide with the endorsement of the CAA rollout by Hindu American groups. However, the US State Department had previously expressed concerns over the implementation of the contentious law, emphasizing the importance of religious freedom and equal treatment under the law for all communities.
In response to the US State Department's critique, India criticized it as "misinformed and unwarranted." The Indian government implemented the CAA, facilitating citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014.
Furthermore, the government assured that Indian Muslims need not fear as the CAA would not affect their citizenship and emphasized that it is unrelated to the Muslim community, which enjoys equal rights as Hindus.
