Congress nuances NRC stand, says UPA deported more Bangladeshis
NEW DELHI: The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Saturday took a nuanced position on the issue of National Register of Citizens (NRC) issue of Assam by demanding the Centre to ensure “all Indians” – be it indigenous Assamese, Hindu Bengalis, Nepalis, Gorkhas, tribes or religious minorities – who are left out of the NRC list be protected and that only foreigners be deported.
By resolving to start a agitation for the protection of these sections, the Congress has clearly aimed at widening the debate from “Hindu Vs Muslim” to “Indians of different faiths in Assam Vs Illegal Bangladeshi immigrants”, while countering the Modi government’s and BJP’s political plank on the NRC issue.
The CWC, while owning up NRC “as the baby of the Assam Accord signed by Rajiv Gandhi government with AASU”, has also also pitted the party-led UPA government’s record in deporting illegal Bengladeshi immigrants against that of the Modi regime and alleged the BJP government “does only talk big and does very little”.
Quoting a Parliamentary reply, AICC chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "While the Congress-led UP regime during 2005-13 deported over eighty two thousand illegal Bengladeshi immigrants from Assam, all that the Modi government did from 2014 onwards to deport just over 1800 illegal Bengladeshi immigrants”.
Surjewala quipped, “this record shows that self-projected nationalists ruling the country today only talk not act. Why only 1800 odd illegal Bengladeshi migrants were deported during the Modi government’s rule…Were they busy cutting the grass… The Modi regime and BJP are only interested in using the NRC issue to break the social fabric of Assam. The Congress will mobilise people against this”, he said while briefing media on CWC meeting.
The CWC meeting also saw a contingent of Assam Congress leaders including Ex-CM, Tarun Gogoi , PCC president Ripan Bora, CLP leader Debabrita Saikia and MPs Bhubaneswar Kalita, Sushmita Dev and Gaurav Gogoi articulating their views on the NRC issue.
Common agitation on Rafale deal and kisan issue
The CWC has also decided to launch an agitation by the Congress across the country against the Rafale fighter jet deal and over the issue of farmers distress. The party will also join hands with like-minded Opposition parties in mobilizing a political fight against the Centre inside and outside Parliament.
The CWC alleged the Modi government was unable to spell out the commercial price of its Rafale fighter jet deal because it had paid 300% more per aircraft than what the UPA regime had negotiated.
The CWC has also accused the Centre of undoing the UPA regime’s decision to give the offset contract to PSU HAL and instead hading over this Rs 30,000 cr offset contract to a private business house along with life-cycle cost agreement as well.
The CWC also accused the government of “allowing scams in the banks and not preventing the looters from fleeing India”, and cited the example of Mehul Choksi getting Antigua citizenship as an example of Government’s inaction.
The Congress and other opposition parties are holding a meeting on Monday to decide on unitedly petitioning the election commission, demanding scrapping of EVMs and reintroducing ballot papers.
By resolving to start a agitation for the protection of these sections, the Congress has clearly aimed at widening the debate from “Hindu Vs Muslim” to “Indians of different faiths in Assam Vs Illegal Bangladeshi immigrants”, while countering the Modi government’s and BJP’s political plank on the NRC issue.
The CWC, while owning up NRC “as the baby of the Assam Accord signed by Rajiv Gandhi government with AASU”, has also also pitted the party-led UPA government’s record in deporting illegal Bengladeshi immigrants against that of the Modi regime and alleged the BJP government “does only talk big and does very little”.
Quoting a Parliamentary reply, AICC chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "While the Congress-led UP regime during 2005-13 deported over eighty two thousand illegal Bengladeshi immigrants from Assam, all that the Modi government did from 2014 onwards to deport just over 1800 illegal Bengladeshi immigrants”.
Surjewala quipped, “this record shows that self-projected nationalists ruling the country today only talk not act. Why only 1800 odd illegal Bengladeshi migrants were deported during the Modi government’s rule…Were they busy cutting the grass… The Modi regime and BJP are only interested in using the NRC issue to break the social fabric of Assam. The Congress will mobilise people against this”, he said while briefing media on CWC meeting.
The CWC meeting also saw a contingent of Assam Congress leaders including Ex-CM, Tarun Gogoi , PCC president Ripan Bora, CLP leader Debabrita Saikia and MPs Bhubaneswar Kalita, Sushmita Dev and Gaurav Gogoi articulating their views on the NRC issue.
Common agitation on Rafale deal and kisan issue
The CWC has also decided to launch an agitation by the Congress across the country against the Rafale fighter jet deal and over the issue of farmers distress. The party will also join hands with like-minded Opposition parties in mobilizing a political fight against the Centre inside and outside Parliament.
The CWC alleged the Modi government was unable to spell out the commercial price of its Rafale fighter jet deal because it had paid 300% more per aircraft than what the UPA regime had negotiated.
The CWC has also accused the Centre of undoing the UPA regime’s decision to give the offset contract to PSU HAL and instead hading over this Rs 30,000 cr offset contract to a private business house along with life-cycle cost agreement as well.
The CWC also accused the government of “allowing scams in the banks and not preventing the looters from fleeing India”, and cited the example of Mehul Choksi getting Antigua citizenship as an example of Government’s inaction.
The Congress and other opposition parties are holding a meeting on Monday to decide on unitedly petitioning the election commission, demanding scrapping of EVMs and reintroducing ballot papers.