NEW DELHI The Indian government is deploying its resources to contain the damage to the country’s international reputation after a string of contentious domestic policies and programmes in the first six months of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second tenure. New Delhi is concerned about the international fallout from the domestic debate over the Citizenship Amendment Act, legislation which promises to grant citizenship to minorities from three Islamic neighbours — Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan — but excludes Muslims. For almost three weeks there have been continuous protests across the nation against the law which many call discriminatory and consider an attack on the secular foundations of the country. People are also agitated over New Delhi’s proposed plan to introduce the National Register of Citizens, an exercise to identify genuine citizens of India.
