New Delhi: After around 4 million people were left out from the new citizen’s list in Assam, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that there would be no discrimination in finalising the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and “no Indian” would be left out.
“I assure everyone that no Indian citizen will be left out. There is absolutely no need to worry. Unwarranted accusations are unfortunate,” he said in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament).
Singh said the process was being monitored by Supreme Court of India. He asserted it was only a draft list. “The process is fair and transparent. We are doing everything according to the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court. Every step is being followed,” he said.
He assured the parliamentarians that no coercive action would be taken against those who had been left out of the draft list.
“Everyone will get a chance to apply for citizenship once we have a final list. They will have full rights. Nothing will be taken away from them. Those not included in the NRC final list would be able to appeal to the foreigners’ tribunal,” he said.
The Home Minister lamented that some political parties were trying to disrupt harmony by abusing the NRC issue for their political advantage. “It is unfortunate that an atmosphere of fear has been created in the country. Propaganda has been carried out through vested interests on social media to internationalise the issue and disturb communal harmony. Please maintain peace, harmony and public order. To aid this, we have provided the Assam government with all the required security forces,” Singh stated.
He also mentioned that the process of NRC was started by the Congress, but now, the grand old party was opposing it. “The procedure of NRC started in 1985 through the Assam accord, when the late Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister. The decision to update it was taken by former prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2005,” Singh said.
His statement came amid protests in Parliament over the detention of a Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation on Thursday at Silchar airport in Assam. Singh said the delegation roughed up the security personnel at Silchar airport.
“On August 2, a TMC delegation was received at Silchar airport with full protocol. They were asked to go back, but the delegation engaged in an argument during which two women security personnel were injured and few passengers were also inconvenienced,” the minister said.
He said the police arrested the delegation members under Section 151 of the Criminal Procedure Code. “They were made to halt the night at a guesthouse near Silchar airport. On August 3, the delegation members flew back to Delhi from Silchar. The situation was handled in a way that law and order can be maintained,” Singh added.
The final draft of NRC was published on Monday, with over almost 2,89,00,000 names out of the total 3,29,00,000 applicants in Assam. Around 40,00,000 applicants did not find a place in the draft NRC.
