Shefikul Islam, a plywood factory worker at Perumbavur and a native of Nagaon district in Assam, has coughed up ₹3,500 to travel home to ensure that he cast his vote in the forthcoming Parliament election. For, he fears that he may fall into the category of D voter, referred to as dubious or doubtful voter, if he fails to vote this time with the Union government notifying the rules to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
Apparently a system prevails in Assam whereby those categorised as D voters are disenfranchised by the government citing their alleged lack of proper citizenship credentials. “If I don’t vote this time, my name may be erased from the NRC (National Register of Citizens),” said Shefikul.
Prevalent
His case seems hardly an exception since the anxiety over the CAA and the NRC seems prevalent among the migrant community, especially from Assam and West Bengal.
At the Perumbavur town, a woman worker from Assam was found buying a new travel trolley. She has already secured a ticket for travelling back home with her husband. When asked whether the concerns over the CAA have prompted their travel, she turned suspicious and walked away.
Rabiul Hussain (name changed), a woodcutter, is also preparing to return home to establish his citizenship credentials. “Anyway work is hard to come by since I am not supposed to work between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. now owing to the hot climate,” he said.
Benoy Peter, executive director, Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development, said that anxiety was evident among the Bengali-speaking Muslim community migrants from Assam’s districts such as Nagaon known to have Bengali settlers from East Bangladesh dating back to the period of undivided India. There seems to be pressure from their families, community leaders, and local politicians to return and cast their votes, which they believe will cement their citizenship credentials.
Major migrant corridor
Incidentally, Ernakulam district employs a large number of migrants belonging to the Bengali-speaking Muslim community from Nagaon in plywood and construction industries. “In fact, Ernakulam-Nagaon is a major migrant corridor in the country. Notwithstanding their anxieties, staying back home is hardly an option for them considering the absence of any viable source of income. So, they are likely to return in a couple of months,” said Mr. Peter.
George Mathew, coordinator, Progressive Workers Organisation, observed that these migrants felt compelled to vote not out of any social consciousness or faith in democracy but out of a mistaken belief that voting would somehow ensure their citizenship. “Urban migrants are neglected even in election manifestos. Many of them who otherwise would have stayed put feel forced to return to vote owing to the concerns over CAA,” he said.
Labour shortage
Mujeeb Rahman, president, Saw Mill Owners and Plywood Manufacturers Association, said that shortage of labour was already being felt and he expected the situation to turn worse in the coming days. He, however, observed that Muslim migrants from Assam and West Bengal were always anxious about their citizenship and preferred to vote even before the CAA rules were notified.
