The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is tracking the ongoing protests against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) in India.

The organisation’s chief economist Gita Gopinath also mentioned that the IMF will take into account the widespread protests against the CAA and NRC in its the next assessment for India in April.

As many as 26 people have been killed so far including five in Assam in the ongoing protests against the amended citizenship law.

Speaking to India Today, Gopinath said that globally issues of social unrest have impacted economic growth. “I have nothing really significant to say (about India). For example, social unrest in Chile has significantly impacted its growth. The same is true for Hong Kong. Social unrest has gone up quite a bit in 2019 in many parts of the world and that has consequences for where it happens,” she said.

The year 2019 witnessed massive protests in Latin America, West Asia, Chile and North Africa, Hong Kong, and India.

Massive protests broke out in the country soon after the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill in both the houses of the parliament. Those protesting against the law say that the Act is discriminatory and creates a divide on the basis of religion.

The legislation has been criticised in India and abroad for allegedly violating the Constitution of India and its promise of equality under Article 14. It was also criticised by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Photo: Twitter