ASSAM : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that seven lakh Muslims are among the 19 lakh persons left out of the National Register of Citizens for the state.
During an Interview with News Live, Sarma said that five lakh Bengali Hindus, two lakh Assamese Hindu groups Koch-Rajbongshi, Das, Kalita and Sarma (Assamese), and 1.5 lakh Gorkhas had been excluded from the register.
The NRC, aimed at identifying illegal immigrants, has been a contentious issue in the state, with concerns about exclusions and potential discrimination. Sarma’s revelation adds fuel to ongoing debates surrounding the NRC process, raising questions about its fairness and inclusivity. The disclosure underscores the complex socio-political landscape of Assam, where issues of immigration and identity have long been fraught with tension.
The NRC is a register that is meant to identify and deport “illegal” immigrants. Assam published a National Register of Citizens on August 31, 2019, with the aim to separate Indian citizens from undocumented immigrants living in the state. Residents had to prove that they or their ancestors had entered Assam before midnight on March 24, 1971 in order for them to be included in the list.
Over 19 lakh persons, or 5.77% of the applicants, were left out of the final list. The breakup provided by CM amounts to 15.5 lakh. It was unclear who are the remaining 3.5 lakh persons.
Sarma said that three lakh to six lakh of those excluded from NRC could apply for citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act, the rules for which were notified on March 11.
The Citizenship Amendment Act aims to fast-track Indian citizenship for refugees from six minority religious communities, except Muslims, from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the condition that they have lived in India for six years and have entered the country by December 31, 2014.
Combined, the CAA and NRC could allow the government to expel all of those deemed “illegal” migrants – and then allow Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians to re-enter, while denying the same opportunity to Muslims.
The BJP has declared its intent to implement the NRC nationwide. ( With Agency Inputs )
If 2024 elections will be conducted on EVMs, then definitely they will implement CAA all over India. My concern is where is opposition? either they frightened of ED or sold-out. The worst opposition we never had in Indian democracy. Even while Indira’s emergency then opposition mainly Sangh exercised their duties strategically.