Shinzo Abe defers visit to India amid North-East protests

Syllabus subtopic: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests, Indian diaspora.

Prelims and Mains focus: about Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 and the diplomatic pressure faced by India, About Indo-japan relations

News: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to India for a planned summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been deferred amid violent protests over the citizenship law in Assam and elsewhere in the North-East.

The Japanese government clearly conveyed to New Delhi that it would not be possible for Abe to travel to Guwahati in view of large-scale protests in the northeastern region, news agency PTI reported, citing diplomatic sources.

However, given the importance of Japanese-funded infrastructure projects in the North-East, it was expected to be held in Guwahati.

Resentment among the Indian States

Some state governments have said they will not implement the amended Citizenship law. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said the amended law will not be implemented in West Bengal. Besides, Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have voiced their disapproval of the law.

What does the Citizenship Amendment Act propose?

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was signed into law by President Ramnath Kovind late on Thursday night.

The amended law says that Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who have come to India till 31 December 2014 from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan due to religious persecution are eligible for Indian citizenship.

Indo-Japan relations

India and Japan have robust economic and defence ties bolstered by heads of state-level annual summits. Both nations signed deals for defence exchange and technology cooperation as well as for protection of classified military information during Prime Minister Abe’s visit to India in December 2015.

These deals lay down the framework for enhanced cooperation in defence including through joint research, development and production.

Source: mint

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