GUWAHATI, May 13 � The National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Progressive), the Indigenous Tribal Peoples Front (ITPF) and the Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha (ASM) have termed as �unconstitutional� any proposal to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) on the basis of the 1971 voters� list and asked the Union Government to ensure that only the names of the descendants of those whose names figure in the NRC of 1951 are included in the updated list.
A joint memorandum in this regard by the three organisations was handed over to President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde in New Delhi last week, according to a statement released here.
It said the Central and State governments are planning to upgrade the NRC of Assam and issue �certificate to foreigners of Pakistan, East Pakistan (Bangladesh) and Nepal� who came to Assam between 1951 and March 24, 1971, and said such a move is �unconstitutional and illegal.�
In the memorandum, the three organisations also demanded of the Central Government to �instruct the Government of Assam not to include the names of foreigners who entered the state from 1951 to March 24, 1971, in NRC.
�Before NRC upgradation (sic), the foreigners should be identified on the basis of the Foreigners Act, 1946, and deported from Assam,� the memorandum said, adding that the State Government should also be instructed to delete the names of foreigners from the voters� list before the next Parliamentary and Assembly polls.
�Before ungradation of NRC, foreigners are to be identified and deported. It is the first and foremost duty of the government� If the government issues citizenship certificates to the approximate 70-80 lakh foreigners, then the indigenous people will become minority forever and lose political and other rights in their own motherland,� the organisations said.
