Geopolitics of the NRC-CAA in Assam: Impact on Bangladesh-India Relations

The present study examines the contemporary Bangladesh-India relationship analyzing the dynamics of geopolitics centring the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA)-2019 in Assam, India. On the basis of secondary data, this paper explores the historical and geopolitical roots of volatile present and uncertain future of the non-registered people, often termed as 'illegal Bangladeshi migrants' living in Assam, portrayed by the Indian ethnocratic state sidelining India's longstanding pluralist traditions and exercises. The central argument of the study is that peddling the issue of 'illegal Bangladeshi migrants' by Indian political elites is destined to transcend the boundary infusing hostility in future into Bangladesh-India relationship.