My family has a history of Partition, and they had to rebuild everything post 1947. They were persecuted for being Hindu, lost their home, identities and never forgot what happened to them. I grew up on these stories, and it is even more poignant to my Smita Prasad , my Mother, a Mumbai kar- never forgot the trauma which her Father and her Uncle’s and Aunts faced.
The reality is that people were thrown out for property, so that the neighbors could grab them. There was no love lost. If we remember the Rohingya’s today we should also remember Bengali Hindus from East Pakistan and Tamil Hindus and Christians from Jaffna.
Every time I have spoken to a Bangladeshi Hindu or Christian in Muscat, Dubai or Singapore/ the conversation has centred around religious persecution, and how many of their relatives live in Kolkata.
The liberal lens does not discount the suffering. The CAB has flaws however it gives the persecuted an opportunity to live again. The Rohingya’s need protection as well in India and should be given asylum under a humanitarian program.