Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

Full opportunity will be given to those left out of NRC: Rajnath

By SPL CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI, Aug 3 - After four days of continuous disruptions, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today made statements in both Houses of Parliament asserting that full opportunity will be given to the people left out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.

He said the NRC update exercise is being carried out with complete fairness and transparency, without any discrimination, and the entire process is being monitored by the Supreme Court.

He spoke briefly on NRC in both Houses of Parliament.

In the Lok Sabha, Singh assured that no coercive action will be taken against anyone in any situation. He clarified that any person, whose name did not figure in the final NRC, will also get opportunity to approach the Foreigners� Tribunal.

He, however, condemned attempts by a few to create an atmosphere of fear based on rumours. �Some people are running propaganda so that the issue is internationalized,� the Union minister said.

Singh�s intervention in the Lok Sabha came amidst protests in Parliament over the overnight detention of a TMC delegation, which was on a two-day visit to Silchar.

�On August 2, a TMC delegation was received at Silchar airport with full protocol. They were asked to go back, but the delegation got into an argument, during which two women security personnel were injured. A few passengers were also inconvenienced,� Singh said.

�Police arrested the delegation members under Section 151 CrPC and made them halt the night at a guest house near Silchar airport. On August 3, the delegation members flew back from Silchar. The situation was handled in a way that law and order can be maintained,� Singh added.

�In a time-bound manner all Indians would be included in the list and the Central and the Assam government are prepared for the same,� he said and added that no attempts should be made to create communal disharmony.

The Union Home Minister clarified in his statement in the Upper House that the NRC was based on Assam Accord, which was signed by the Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Later, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad suggested that the party and the government should speak in one voice for ensuring clarity in the NRC issue. He also called for strengthening the updating measures.

Meanwhile, in the Rajya Sabha, in a quick change of strategy, the Congress party today allowed its MPs from Assam to speak first.

Participating in the discussion, Ripun Bora said that there is an urgent need for modification of some guidelines for enlisting names in the NRC. As far as West Bengal is concerned, 1.20 lakh applications were forwarded by the NRC authority to the West Bengal government for verification, but only 15,000 replies had come so far. So, because of that also, some genuine names have been dropped from the NRC.

�So, my submission is to modify and simplify the guidelines and extend the deadline for submission of claim forms, which has been given as September 27. I would like to suggest that at the national level also, there should be an all-party meeting so that all political parties are taken into confidence.

Participating in the discussion, Bhubaneswar Kalita said there was a report from one Governor that 4 lakh Bangladeshis are in Assam. That was followed by a Chief Minister, who said that it would be more than that. Another Chief Minister said that it would be nearly 7 lakh. �So, it became necessary that an updating of the NRC be done,� he said.

Derek O�Brien of TMC said that it is not just an Assam issue. �This is a national issue, a human rights issue, a humanitarian issue,� he said.

Next Story