If it is so wrong to leave India, why are the NRIs being wooed?
Day 3,795, 11:38
•
Published in India 
•
by
•
by sanskar agrawal
At the moment, there is some speculation that Non-Resident Indians, and perhaps even Overseas Citizens of India, and Persons of Indian Origin, may eventually secure voting rights. If it is so wrong for an actor or a writer or an artist to voice that he or she is considering a move abroad, leave alone that he or she has given up on living in India, why has it become so important to woo these NRIs, who have actually acted on that sentiment? Are these not the people who chose to leave India, through legal or illegal channels, to study or work or live? What makes them acceptable – and their donations welcome – if the sentiment to leave a country is not acceptable?
Facebook
Twitter
Discord
Comments
Most NRI’s who moved out of India has gone how to study or for economic reasons. Many actors, writers also move out or work outside for similar reasons but when an actor or writer say who has earned millions in India and has millions of fans that they want to move out due to intolerance (which by the way they never faced) then that is what most people don’t like. They are more than welcome to move out of the country for economical, etc. reason but the country who gave them everything. Priyanka Chopra, Irfan Khan, etc. has worked outside and everybody appreciate them.
Actually, Aamir Khan never said that. He clearly says that he was shocked to hear his wife discussing moving out of the country after all the artists were being targeted.
He is among the finest Indians and has greatly contributed to the country both as a citizen and an artist.
While I am not a fan of giving NRIs the voting rights, I don't think we have the rights to question an NRIs loyalty to the country and its citizens. Although I hate hypocrites like Ajay Devgan who acts in a movie like 'Raid' and has his and his wife's name in the leaked Panama Papers. Then there's also Akshay Kumar with his Canadian citizenship and using 'patriotism' to sell movies.
This is a slightly inflammatory post in a game. Please understand that not all eIndians are real life Indians and such discussions make us come across as really petty.
[removed]
Generally we vote to elect our local representative to assembly or parliament. Why and whom do the NRI want to vote to? I see no purpose. I find this one also not a good rule- a non resident of a constituency can contest election in that constituency.
Nationalism in itself is a flawed concept. Countries are arbitrary constructs, cooked up by men with pencils and maps.
NRIs are basically the best of our generation, who studied and work among the best in the world. If they actually want to get involved in India's development and political discourse - we should let them. The only way our country can become truly developed is to push out the old lines of thought and replace them with ideas of the future. NRIs bring a fresh perspective and that's something we really need.
- Last year almost $70 Billion i.e. 4% of India's GDP was remitted to India by NRIs who hardly make up 0.1% of India's population.
- Each NRI is an ambassador for India's culture, knowledge, identity and image. They help in ushering investments from the countries and organizations that they currently belong to. A lot of time come back to India with their acquired skills, outlook & knowledge to help the India progress further.
- They do all this while being a minority in foreign land, fighting racism, adapting to new culture, people & climate, protecting their own identity & culture, creating a fortune from almost nothing by toiling hard everyday, saving and returning a large part of their fortune back to India instead of affording a lifestyle that their western counterparts lead.
- For all these things you don't want them to be a part of the democratic process that helps in Electing a Government whose Foreign, Economic and Social Policies directly affects their lives?
PS I am one of those million NRIs who fit the description mentioned above.
People in India use the term NRI, but it is misleading. NRI's are only for people who are still Indian citizen and are just abroad temporarily. Those who have settled abroad are known as PIO (Person of Indian Origin) and form part of the bigger Indian diaspora.
So clubbing the NRI's in gulf and the diaspora in Western world is like clubbing donkeys and dragons together. NRI's already have voting rights. They can come back to India and vote anytime. They hold Indian passport. It is the OCI's and PIO's and the Diaspora which don't have voting rights and to be honest we don't need voting right. We are too filthy rich and influential and we don't need voting rights to influence decisions in India. We have been doing it for a long time and it's only gonna increase. No matter what you do India needs money, India is a poor country at the moment. It's us whose help India needs to get out of the cycle of poverty. So stop being so arrogant and proud and accept that the Hindu diaspora is the strongest and most influential diaspora in the world along with the Jewish diaspora. And we haven't gotten there easy, we worked our way to the top and there's a lot Indian can learn from it's diaspora.