Page 9 - Tehelka Issue 15 August 2018

assam

Tension erupTs as 40 lakh names missing in nrC

he complete draft People, whose names have not figured in the to file claims and corrections.
of the updated register, will get an opportunity to file claims “This proves that BJP itself ad-
National Register of mits that genuine Indians are
Citizens (NRC) was and objections, reports abdul wasey being excluded because if they
T released on July 30. are foreigners why are they be-
Names of more than 40 lakh districts. As many as 22 locali- AIUDF president Badruddin ing allowed to file claim when
people were missing from it. ties in Guwahati are sensitive, Ajmal said exclusion of 40 lakh they should be identified and
The development sparked up- according to Police Commis- people was “not a small mat- corrective action be taken”.
roar. Prohibitory orders under sioner Hiren Nath. ter” and the party will provide He claimed the “double
Section 144 of the CrPC were The updation of NRC has assistance to all people whose standards” of BJP have been
imposed in several districts of been in deference to the Assam names did not feature in the “exposed” as they first said that
Assam to maintain law and or- Accord of 1985 which the then draft to ensure that no genuine they will protect Hindu Benga-
der. Political parties remained Rajiv Gandhi government Indian citizen is left out. He lis but are “now targeting even
split over the issue. had signed with the All Assam however, added that everyone those among them who were
Publishing the docu- Students’ Union at the end of should wait for the final list. part of pre-1971 India”.
ment, Register General of six-year bloody Assam Agita- Assam PCC President Ripun “Unfortunately NRC’s
India, Shailesh, said out of the tion. As per the exercise, which Bora hoped that the Centre original objective remains
3,29,91,384 applicants, the is being directly monitored would implement in letter and unfulfilled even after crores of
names of 2,89,83,677 peo- by the Supreme Court, people, spirit Home Minister Rajnath rupees being spent in updating
ple had figured in the draft. who entered Assam after Singh’s statement that no it”, he said.
The deficit was of 40,07,707. March 24, 1971, will be viewed genuine citizen would be left He claimed that Union
The part draft, published on as illegal immigrants. However, out. Veteran Assam Congress Minister Rajnath Singh is now
December 31 last year, had the they will get a window of 30 leader and former chief minis- trying to shift the blame of the
names of 1.9 crore people. Lat- days to file claims and objec- ter Tarun Gogoi said that 40 “is “weak implementation” to the
er, the cases of 1.5 lakh people, tions. Eventually, the final NRC a big figure” and he feared that Supreme Court. “It is shame-
whose names had figured in will be published. most of them are “genuine” In- ful as the Supreme Court has
it, were kept in abeyance. The The Congress has ques- dian citizens. Many people had never directed that genuine
citizenship fate of 1.39 crore tioned the non-inclusion of expected that a correct NRC Indian citizens be harassed.”
applicants was to be decided in over 40 lakh people in the draft will be published, but that Welcoming the publication
the complete draft. However, complete draft of the NRC and has not been done, he said add- of the complete draft, Mahanta
Sailesh refused to give figures alleged it was a “motivated” ing the BJP government in the said names of genuine Indian
of the complete draft. action by the BJP which was state has not given any actual citizens should be there. This
“People, whose names trying to play “politics of figure of foreigners in Assam was not the final NRC and “we
have not figured in NRC, need polarisation”. till today. “In my opinion most should wait for the final publi-
not worry. Neither they will Former Assam Chief Min- of those whose names have cation of the NRC”, he said.
be branded foreigners nor ister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, been excluded are genuine AIUDF’s Ajmal said non-in-
will punitive action be taken who had spearheaded the Indian citizens and in this list clusion of over 40 lakh people
against them. They will get six-year-long Assam agitation people across communities “is not a small matter though
an opportunity to file claims against foreigners and was a have been excluded includ- we must take into account that
and objections. The names of signatory to the historic Assam ing many Hindus and Bengali this is not the final NRC and we
no genuine Indians will be Accord, told PTI that the cen- speaking people,” Gogoi said. must wait for it”.
left out,” Sailesh said. “We will tral government “must deport The BJP government, All Assam Students’ Union
maintain status quo as regards people, who have come after he said, is saying that those (AASU) General Secretary
the fate of those whose names March 24, 1971, to their original excluded from the NRC need Lurinjyoti Gogoi said the draft
have not figured in NRC till the country”. not fear and would be allowed publication is “a historic mo-
final draft is published”. photo: ujjal deb ment after the signing of the
The Centre, meanwhile, Assam Accord”.
had dispatched 220 addi- Krishak Mukti Sangram
tional companies of central Samiti (KMSS) Advisor
paramilitary forces to the state. Akhil Gogoi also welcomed the
Prohibitory orders were en- publication of the draft and
forced for an indefinite period assured legal help to genuine
in Barpeta, Darrang, Sonitpur, Indian citizens.
Dima Hasao, Bongaigaon, Dhu-
bri, Karimganj and Golaghat letters@tehelka.com