No one is being thrown out of Assam through NRC, Govt tells Opposition

Rajnath Singh (right) with BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri Thursday. (Express photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured Parliament Thursday that no one was being forcibly driven out of Assam through the National Register of Citizens drive and asked people to be patient as the process has not been completed yet.

Rajnath was replying to allegations from the Opposition, mainly Trinamool Congress and Congress, that the NRC drive was being used to drive Bengalis out of Assam. The same was charge levelled by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee Wednesday.

Rajnath said, “The NRC work being carried out in Assam is on the orders of the Supreme Court. Till now only 1.4 crore [1.9 crore] people have been shown as registered. The process is still on. No one needs to be worried. Those whose names have been left out can approach a tribunal. It is a baseless allegation that some people are being driven out.”

Opposition members in Lok Sabha had alleged a conspiracy to drive Bengali-speaking population out of Assam. Trinamool member Saugata Roy raised the issue as soon as zero hour began, saying that names of over 1.3 crore people out of 3.29 crore had not appeared in the first draft of NRC, which aims at weeding out illegal immigrants. “We fear this is a conspiracy to drive out Bengali-speaking people from Assam,” Roy said.

In West Bengal Wednesday, Mamata had said, “I urge the BJP not to play with fire. People are being removed from their native land with this conspiracy of NRC. If Bengalis are attacked or expelled from Assam, we will not keep quiet.”

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had said Wednesday that those not included in the first NRC draft should not worry as no one will be discriminated against on the basis of caste or community and all will be given opportunities to prove their citizenship. Sonowal also said a mechanism has to be devised “humanely” by the Centre on what to do with those found to be illegal immigrants after finalisation of the NRC.

The BJP had made identification of illegal immigrants in Assam from Bangladesh, a large number of whom are Muslims, its key poll plank in 2016. It went on to win the election with a strong majority, forming its maiden government in the state.