NEW DELHI, March 18 -- It had all the trappings of a powerful bomb. Now, you may ask what they are? An outer casing, the inner explosive material, devices such as fins to stabilise the bomb, one or more fuzes to ignite the bomb's main charge, and a mechanism for arming the fuze or preparing it to explode. Alas, the bomb failed to detonate to the expected extent!

My reference is to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019, which came into force on the first day of Ramadan, when Muslims congregated in mosques in large numbers. There was no other incident in independent India that roused the Muslim feelings as the CAA. Neither alimony for Shah Bano nor Babri Masjid demolition antagonised them as this one.

Millions of Muslim men and women came ...