In a move that has sparked controversy and drawn criticism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has announced the implementation of rules to enforce the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of 2019. The law, which excludes Muslims, provides an expedited path to citizenship for Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Christians who fled from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan prior to December 31, 2014.

The decision to enforce the law comes just weeks before Modi seeks a third term in office, and follows a period of delay after violent protests erupted in the capital city of New Delhi and other parts of the country, resulting in numerous casualties.

The CAA, initially approved by the Indian Parliament in 2019, has raised concerns among various groups who argue that it undermines India's secular identity. Muslims, in particular, fear that the law, in conjunction with a proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC), could lead to their marginalization.

The NRC, currently implemented only in the northeastern state of Assam, aims to identify and remove individuals who the government claims entered India illegally. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has pledged to extend this program nationwide.

The government defends the CAA as a humanitarian gesture, asserting that it is aimed solely at providing citizenship to religious minorities fleeing persecution, and would not be used against Indian citizens.

Critics, however, argue that the law is discriminatory and violates constitutional principles of equality and international human rights standards. Amnesty India, a human rights watchdog, states that the law legitimizes religious-based discrimination and is exclusionary in nature and intent.

India is home to approximately 200 million Muslims, who constitute a significant minority in the country of over 1.4 billion people. Concerns of targeted violence against Muslims have risen since Modi assumed power in 2014. Critics accuse Modi of remaining silent on anti-Muslim violence, thereby emboldening extremist supporters and allowing hate speech against Muslims to thrive.

Modi's government has increasingly intertwined religion with politics, appealing to the majority Hindu population. Earlier this year, he inaugurated a Hindu temple at the site of a demolished mosque in Ayodhya, fulfilling a long-standing pledge of his party's Hindu nationalist agenda.

The timing of the implementation of the controversial citizenship rules has drawn criticism from the main opposition party, Congress, who argue that it is a deliberate attempt to polarize the upcoming elections.

As the country gears up for a general election set to take place by May, most polls indicate that Modi is likely to secure a majority.