The San Diego chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America condemns the discriminatory and fascist turn of the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We stand in solidarity with the Muslim community in India, and the working and oppressed people struggling against this fascist regime. The Hindu nationalist BJP government plans to implement a National Registry of Citizens (NRC) in the country and has prepared for that with the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 (CAA). These policies are a step towards the stated goal of the BJP to convert India into a “Hindu Rashtra” (Hindu Nation) and to further discriminate against and marginalize the Muslim and other religious minorities in the region. As DSA San Diego we vehemently condemn these actions and ask for all working class and oppressed peoples to stand in opposition to this government’s disregard of human rights.
The state of Assam on India’s border with Bangladesh is where the NRC was first proposed and is currently being implemented. We recognize that the desire for this National Register comes out of an anti-immigrant movement in Assam, where the implementation of the NRC has thus far declared 1.9 million people “illegal” and effectively rendered them stateless.
As socialists based in San Diego, 20 miles from the US border with Mexico, we see a clear connection with these policies and the US government’s actions on the southern US Border. The rounding up of immigrants and holding them in concentration camps is a tactic used by fascists all around the world showing that the struggle for liberation here and in India are one and the same.
Around the world, we are witnessing a rise of fascist governments, from the Bolsonaro Regime in Brazil to the Duterte Regime in The Philippines, and the Tory Government headed by the racist Boris Johnson. We see it in the popularity of Marine Le Pen in France, the Military Coup in Bolivia, the Trump Regime in the United States, and the Modi Regime in India. We condemn these regimes and stand in solidarity with the Muslim communities in India, and with all working and oppressed peoples around the world.