Constitutional Identity vs. Cultural Identity: Emerging Citizenship Debates in India

Even though the debate regarding multiculturalism took centre stage in European countries by mid of 20th Century, the Indian Constitution enacted in 1950 has prominent features regarding multiculturalism reflecting the historical inclusive nature of Indian society. After independence in a conflict between political nationalist and cultural nationalist, led to changes in legal framework with regard to constitutional identity of citizenship in India. The frequent changes in the citizenship acts in India reflect the changing political conditions and its implications. The recent Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 has created more political struggles as the cultural nationalist vision of creating an exclusive nationalist discourse got strengthened by this amendment. This paper will explore these changes to understand its implications in India.