NEW DELHI: Assam CM
Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday demanded an Assam-like
National Register of Citizens (
NRC) be introduced at the national level, claiming some other states like West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Delhi and the northeast had witnessed influx of millions of illegal immigrants over the years.
"Many states like Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand and cities like Delhi and other metros are experiencing the perils of illegal migrants. These places have witnessed population growth far beyond the national average. Illegal migrants are eating into already constrained resources. NRC is essential in these states for national security," Sonowal insisted while speaking at a seminar - NRC: Defending borders, Securing the Culture - organised by Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini.
The Assam CM's fullfledged advocacy of NRC in other states came up in presence of senior
BJP leaders, including national general secretary and in-charge of north-eastern states
Ram Madhav.
Sonowal's insistence on NRC at national level came a day after BJP chief Amit Shah slammed opposition parties for their resistance to the exercise in Assam and also said that the government had initiated a campaign across several cities to identify Rohingya refugees who would be deported. Shah issued the statement on the last day of the BJP national executive committee meeting. Sonowal was hailed by the party leadership for completing the NRC draft under supervision of the SC.
Sonowal said the NRC was discriminatory as it should have applied for whole of India and that genuine citizens need not panic as they will not be treated as "foreigners". "Not a single citizen will be left out when the final NRC will be published."
Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal
