Controversy around citizenship amendment bill
Ever since this country got independence, the nation hadn’t seen such divisive and ill minded government. No other government gave so much troubles to people as much as this government did, continuing to assault and defeat the tenets of constitution in the last four and half years since they have been in power.
Decisions such as demonetization, universal linking of Aadhar, GST and other pushed the people of this country into difficult situations. The silent encouragement that the government gave to Gau Rakshaks caused a lot of damage to people and their lives.
Now after all this damage the government has decided to bring in amendment to the citizenship bill, which will create more hardship to people.
In its election manifesto in 2014, the BJP had said all the illegal Hindu immigrants from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries would be accorded the citizenship. The bill would be brought in to fulfil this promise.
This is one part of the communal agenda of the BJP because in the current bill, the word Hindu is nowhere mentioned in reference to the bill. But, all the others who have entered India prior to 2014, except for the Muslims, would be granted citizenship of the country.
This has been vehemently opposed in North Eastern states. Asom Gana Parishad which helped the BJP form the government has also said the same thing because it would be wrong to perceive the immigrants on the basis of their faith, India being a sovereign country.
The BJP which has been engaging in politics using this illegal immigration as the core topic, suddenly bringing up this bill shows the depths that the party is plundering in the recent times. The bill was passed in the lower house even amidst the opposition of Asom Gana Parishad. If the upper house passes this, it can be implemented. But this has been opposed in north eastern states.
Our Prime Minister probably does not know what he is speaking about and he does not seem to understand anything apart from the lessons of hatred he was taught at the RSS Shakha. He does not respect constitution or has his own reading ability much like the last BJP PM Vajpayee who was a statesman.
He went to Kerala and spoke against the Supreme Court verdict on the issue of women being allowed to worship inside the temple. Would he have the semblance to speak sense about the immigrants of Assam?
The Citizen Amendment Act is much against the concept of India. To consider faith as the pertinent factor to grant citizenship is much against the principles of democracy. All the illegal immigrants were born and have lived in north eastern states. What does it mean when the government says they will not get the citizenship if they are not born to hindu parents? To discriminate between its own subjects is never a good thing for a nation.
This bill can never be defended. Protests have been held in Assam and other NE states against this. This bill may help consolidate hindu votes, but this would defeat the very purpose of solidarity and integrity of the nation.
Even to offer 10% reservation to economically backward upper castes is something that cuts against the principles of the constitution. No one can defeat the Modi team in taking controversial measures. The government has always been keen on shutting the voice of dissidence with the polls drawing close.
The government is all set to destroy JNU by way of foisting cases on Kanhaiya Kumar, Khalid and the others by charging them with sedition. This is a three year old case that has got fresh lease of life right at the time of elections.
Because Kanhaiya Kumar has expressed his desire to fight LS elections from Bihar. This is a case of settling scores. This path taken by the Modi government is that of Fascist and dictatorial one. People will give a befitting answer to this in the upcoming elections. The response given by the people of five states which defeated the BJP is resounding enough.
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Iran Shocks World, Hits F-35
America's most advanced fighter jet, the F-35, was never hit in combat — not once, in its entire history. Countries spend over ₹900 crore to buy just one of these aircraft. The whole world believed this plane was untouchable. Then, on March 19, something happened over Iranian skies that shocked military experts across the globe.
Iran hit it. And nobody saw it coming.
America Was Too Confident — That Was the Problem
Before understanding how this happened, you need to understand what America believed going into this. The US had been bombing Iran since February 28. After roughly 20 days of heavy strikes, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Iran's air defences were completely destroyed — finished, flattened, gone.
US President Donald Trump even said proudly, "We can fly wherever we want, and no one is even firing at us."
Based on this confidence, America flew its prized F-35 deep into the heart of central Iran. That alone tells you how sure they were. You don't send your most expensive jet into enemy territory unless you believe there is zero danger.
But Iran, a country under heavy international sanctions, still had something left. And it used that something extremely well.
So How Did Iran Actually Hit a Stealth Jet?
Here is where it gets interesting for regular people to understand.
We have all heard the word "stealth" — it sounds like the plane is completely invisible. But India Today explained that stealth only means it is hard to detect by radar. Hard — not impossible. It does not mean the aircraft is totally invisible.
Think of it this way. Even if you cannot see someone in a dark room, you can still feel their body heat if they stand close enough. That is almost exactly what happened here.
The F-35's engines produce enormous heat. Iran's weapon likely used an infrared sensor — basically a heat-seeking system — to detect that heat, lock onto it, and follow the jet. No radar needed. The F-35's biggest advantage, its radar-invisibility, simply did not matter.
The weapon Iran likely used was the 358 missile — also called SA-67 — which is a loitering munition. Think of it as a slow, intelligent drone that flies around patiently waiting, scanning the sky for heat signals from aircraft engines. Once it finds one, it chases it down. Iran has used this exact weapon before against American MQ-9 Reaper drones — and since this war started, America has already lost more than 12 of those drones.
This Has Happened Before — In 1999
This is not the first time America's "invisible" aircraft was brought down by a smarter enemy.
In 1999, during NATO's bombing campaign over Serbia, the US flew its F-117 Nighthawk — which was then considered the world's most advanced stealth aircraft. Serbian forces shot it down using an old Soviet missile system from the 1960s. Not with new technology — with clever thinking. They briefly switched on their radar, caught the jet at the right moment when its stealth was less effective, and fired.
The lesson both then and now is the same — no aircraft is completely invincible. Smart tactics can beat expensive technology.
Why This Changes Everything in the Iran War
Here is the bigger picture that really matters.
America and Israel had told the world that Iran's air defences were basically dead. Based on that, they sent massive B-1 and B-2 bombers — aircraft that are normally used only when a country is 100% sure it controls the enemy's sky. That is a huge military risk to take.
But if an F-35 — the most advanced aircraft in the sky — can still be hit, then Iran's defences are clearly not dead. Some pieces are still very much alive and working.
This means the US and Israel may now be forced to completely rethink their war plan. Their jets may need to fly higher, use longer-range weapons, and spend far more time and money finding where Iran's remaining defence systems are hiding underground.
Around 15 countries use the F-35 today. Even India was offered this jet by Trump during PM Modi's White House visit — though India has not shown interest so far.
Geopolitical expert Adam summed it up simply — a heavily sanctioned country just tracked, chased, and hit the world's most expensive stealth jet. That is not a small thing.
Sometimes, one moment changes everything.
(Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst. He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany.)
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or position of the publication, its editors, or its management. The publication is not responsible for the accuracy of any information, statements, or opinions presented in this piece.
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