The rise of sub-nationalism

The worrying thing about this nascent sub-nationalism is that it is likely to intensify if economic growth does not pick up and job opportunities narrow

The fracas over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) offers more compelling evidence of this regime’s tin ear for the infinite variety that is Indian multiculturalism. That the Modi-Shah grand plan for a Muslim-mukt nation has boomeranged is, however, only part of the story. A closer look at the anti-CAA/NRC protest suggests they were far from monolithic and have given impetus to dormant sub-nationalisms with risky consequences for India.

In mainland India, the protests converged on the anti-Muslim element embedded in the law and the registration exercise. In Jharkhand, with its 27 per cent