The Congress on Friday slammed the government for the final National Register of Citizens which had excluded 19 lakh people in Assam saying the “careless” implementation had ended up disenfranchising many genuine citizens.
“Every section of Assam is unhappy with the status of NRC. Even BJP Ministers are complaining. Careless implementation that many genuine Indian citizens will have to unnecessarily face the courts. Congress will provide all help. Nation above politics is our motto,” party Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi said in a tweet.
The party is carefully treading on the issue not to be seen as standing entirely opposed to the exercise. Lok Sabha floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary told reporters that its concern was limited that “genuine citizens must be protected and included in the NRC list”.
The CPI(M) Polit Bureau said here exclusion of 19 lakh people had “roused legitimate fears” that many of those excluded were genuine citizens. It asked the government to spell out the status and the rights of those excluded. “Till their appeals are heard and the process is completed, the status quo should be maintained with regard to their existing rights and facilities,” it said.
As per the procedure laid down by the government, those excluded can apply to the designated Foreigners Tribunals within 120 days for their cases to be heard. The CPI(M) also questioned the validity of the tribunals as a body to adjudicate such cases. It said they were not judicial bodies that would consider the merit of the application before deciding to admit it. “The CPI(M) wants the right of appeal to be processed through a judicial mechanism. The Foreigners Tribunals are not adequate for this purpose.”
The Communist party also demanded that a meeting of all political parties should be called in by the State government to apprise them of the issue and discuss the concerns raised by them.
Till all the loopholes are plugged, the party has demanded that none of the excluded members should be sent to a detention camp. CPI general secretary D. Raja said the BJP had been using it to polarise and communalise Assam and their claims had been falling apart one by one. “We will have to wait and see how people of Assam will respond to this.”
