Citizenship is a contentious issue in India-locked Nepal. You are bound to feel insecure when there are a billion people living south of an open border. The fear of being swallowed up is so latent in the Nepali psyche that opportunistic politicians of every hue consider it worth their while to whip up jingoism.

Madhesis, the people from the plains, are at a particular disadvantage due to complex citizenship procedures. Ethnically closer to the people from across the border, they are not deemed to be citizens unless they have a certificate to that effect. It\'s Catch-22: they won\'t get a certificate because they are not considered citizens. The entire burden of proof lies with them. For the State, they are stateless unless they prove that they are not stateless. But they can\'t prove they are not stateless unless the State grants them the certificate stating that they have a state.

Under pressure from its own MPs, the Nepali Congress realised that it had to do something about it or face increasing electoral threats from the Sadhabhavana Party in the tarai. They drafted a bill that greatly simplified the procedure of obtaining a citizenship certificate. It sailed through the Lower House because it sought to do what every political party has been promising in its election manifesto, but had not done anything about for the fear of antagonising extreme \'nationalists\'.

Opposition parties opposing the bill for political convenience will do well to remember that it makes more sense to have liberal laws implemented strictly than strict laws implemented loosely. Citizenship should not be confused with nationality in a multi-ethnic nation state. Doing so is bound to encourage secessionism.