News Analysis India

Tag: NRC

  • bjp manifesto: New and old promises in BJP manifesto

    New Delhi: The BJP has made a host of new promises in its Lok Sabha poll manifesto including for farmers’ empowerment like the launch of a Krishi Infrastructure Mission for coordinated implementation of agri-infrastructure projects, while steering clear of some others mentioned in the past. In its 2024 manifesto, the BJP has repeated its promise on implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and reiterated its stand to draw a Uniform Civil Code but has skipped the contentious issue of National Register of Citizens (NRC).

    “There has been a huge change in the cultural and linguistic identity of some areas due to illegal immigration, resulting in an adverse impact on local people’s livelihood and employment.

    “We will expeditiously complete the National Register of Citizens process in these areas on priority. In future we will implement the NRC in a phased manner in other parts of the country,” the party had stated in its 2019 manifesto. In its last Lok Sabha poll manifesto, the BJP had promised to double the farmers’ income by 2022, but the opposition has accused it of failing to deliver on its assurance and has also been cornering it on the demand for legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP).

    The party’s 2024 poll manifesto stated that the BJP government empowered farmers through a variety of measures including soil health card, micro-irrigation, crop insurance, seed supply, and direct financial assistance under PM Kisan Samman Yojana.

    “We have ensured (an) unprecedented increase in the MSP (minimum support price) for major crops and we will continue to increase it from time to time. We are providing annual financial assistance of Rs 6,000 under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana. We are committed to sustained financial support for our farmers,” it said. The BJP promised to further strengthen the crop insurance scheme PM Fasal Bima Yojana through more technological interventions to ensure speedy and more accurate assessment, faster payouts and quicker grievance resolution. “We have incentivised crop diversification with appropriate price support strategy. Building on this, we are committed to further expand crop diversification to make agriculture sustainable and remunerative,” it said.

    “We will support Annadatas to make Bharat Atma Nirbhar (self-reliant) in the production of pulses (like tur, urad, masoor, moong and chana) and edible oil production like mustard, soybean, til and groundnut,” it added.

    The BJP promised to expand the irrigation facility and launch a Krishi Infrastructure Mission for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of agri-infrastructure projects like storage facilities, irrigation, grading and sorting units, cold storage facilities, and food processing among others if voted to power.

    “We will launch a National Mission on Natural Farming to promote nature-friendly, climate-resilient, remunerative agriculture for food and nutrition secure Bharat,” it said and added, “We are committed to supporting our Kisan families and empower them to lead better lives.”

    The BJP’s 2024 Lok Sabha poll manifesto has paid greater attention to the issues of the fishermen as compared to that of its 2019 manifesto, with the party making a host of promises to advance their prosperity and welfare.

    “We are committed to advancing the prosperity and welfare of our fishermen by enhancing fisheries through initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, modernising infrastructure, and providing financial support and skill development. Our efforts are aimed at empowering fishermen families to thrive and contribute to the nation’s Blue Revolution,” the manifesto said.

    “We will further extend the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana to increase fish production and increase our annual seafood exports,” it added.

    The BJP also promised to further strengthen and expand the insurance coverage available under PM Matsya Sampada Yojana through more technological interventions to ensure speedy and more accurate assessment, faster payouts and quicker grievance resolution.

    “We will develop production and processing clusters with special attention to women of coastal communities. We will boost seaweed cultivation under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana to increase the income of fishermen.

    “We will create sustainable livelihood opportunities for fishermen through the promotion of pearl farming,” the party manifesto said.

    As its 2019 poll promise of construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya stands fulfilled, the BJP in its 2024 manifesto expressed its commitment to a “holistic” development of Ayodhya and promised to launch a global outreach programme for promoting the legacy of Lord Ram.

    The party also promised that it would celebrate ‘Ramayan Utsav’ across the globe to commemorate the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Ram Lalla at the recently built temple in Ayodhya if it retains power.

  • NRC couldn’t but delimitation can safeguard Assam’s future: Himanta

    By Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said the upcoming exercise for delimiting Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies would help safeguard the state’s future for at least two decades.

    “The notification issued by the year-end for delimitation is a breakthrough for Assam. We were unsuccessful in NRC (National Register of Citizens). We did not get a desired result through the Assam Accord. But through delimitation, we will be able to safeguard Assam’s future for at least two decades,” Sarma told journalists. 

    At the same time, he said delimitation will be a “data-based” and “non-political” exercise. According to an Act of the Parliament, delimitation has to be done based on the Census of 2001. This is the mandate of the Act, he said.

    “The policy of delimiting constituencies is based on population. The central government told us to control the population. Some people controlled it but some did not. So, should the population be the basis of delimitation? By this, you are actually giving premium to those who violated the (population) policy and punishing those who abided by it,” the CM said. 

    “When the next delimitation exercise will take place, the Parliament will definitely debate whether areas which did not abide by the policy of population control should be punished or rewarded. I feel this is a matter of national debate. In my view, the population should not be a criterion in delimiting constituencies. There should be other criteria as well,” Sarma insisted.

    Asked if there is a population explosion in Assam, he said it could be known after the Census of 2021.

    Ahead of delimitation, the state government had on Saturday remerged four new districts with those which were bifurcated to create them. A government notification had said the decision was made for “administrative expediency and in the interest of public service.”

    Sarma had said, “This decision is not permanent. This is for a transition phase for administrative reasons and in the interest of Assam keeping in mind its future.”

    But the opposition parties opposed it.

    The Congress had said the CM demonstrated his “dictatorial” attitude. The party promised to restore the district status to the four places if voted to power in 2026. The Assam Jatiya Parishad had accused the state government of deceiving people. The party said the BJP government had created the four districts for votes.

    On Tuesday, the Election Commission had announced its decision to initiate the delimitation exercise in Assam. The 2001 Census figures will be used for the purpose of readjustment of the constituencies.

    GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said the upcoming exercise for delimiting Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies would help safeguard the state’s future for at least two decades.

    “The notification issued by the year-end for delimitation is a breakthrough for Assam. We were unsuccessful in NRC (National Register of Citizens). We did not get a desired result through the Assam Accord. But through delimitation, we will be able to safeguard Assam’s future for at least two decades,” Sarma told journalists. 

    At the same time, he said delimitation will be a “data-based” and “non-political” exercise. According to an Act of the Parliament, delimitation has to be done based on the Census of 2001. This is the mandate of the Act, he said.

    “The policy of delimiting constituencies is based on population. The central government told us to control the population. Some people controlled it but some did not. So, should the population be the basis of delimitation? By this, you are actually giving premium to those who violated the (population) policy and punishing those who abided by it,” the CM said. 

    “When the next delimitation exercise will take place, the Parliament will definitely debate whether areas which did not abide by the policy of population control should be punished or rewarded. I feel this is a matter of national debate. In my view, the population should not be a criterion in delimiting constituencies. There should be other criteria as well,” Sarma insisted.

    Asked if there is a population explosion in Assam, he said it could be known after the Census of 2021.

    Ahead of delimitation, the state government had on Saturday remerged four new districts with those which were bifurcated to create them. A government notification had said the decision was made for “administrative expediency and in the interest of public service.”

    Sarma had said, “This decision is not permanent. This is for a transition phase for administrative reasons and in the interest of Assam keeping in mind its future.”

    But the opposition parties opposed it.

    The Congress had said the CM demonstrated his “dictatorial” attitude. The party promised to restore the district status to the four places if voted to power in 2026. The Assam Jatiya Parishad had accused the state government of deceiving people. The party said the BJP government had created the four districts for votes.

    On Tuesday, the Election Commission had announced its decision to initiate the delimitation exercise in Assam. The 2001 Census figures will be used for the purpose of readjustment of the constituencies.

  • Festering wounds of CAA protests keep citizenship issue alive in Assam

    By PTI

    GUWAHATI: Widespread protests in Assam after the enactment of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) on this day three years ago have left behind a festering wound that has kept the citizenship issue alive in the northeastern state sharing a long border with Bangladesh.

    The BJP government at the Centre asserts that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 will be implemented but is yet to frame the rules, leading to allegations from various quarters that the saffron party is using it as a “political card” to polarise the nation.

    The Citizenship Act, of 1955 was amended to provide citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian religious minorities fleeing persecution from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and seeking refuge in India till 2014.

    The Opposition protested the Act as being based on religious criteria and wanted it to be amended.

    The protests against the Act in Assam were led by the All Assam Students Union (AASU) and the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) but the stir was different from those in other parts of the country as agitators asserted that the state cannot be a dumping ground for foreigners irrespective of their religion.

    The agitation in Assam had turned violent, with five people losing their lives in police firing and KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi and four others being arrested. The stir was called off with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    In the aftermath of the agitation, two new political parties — Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) led by the then AASU leader Lurinjyoti Gogoi and Raijor Dal headed by Akhil Gogoi — were born in Assam.

    “The BJP uses CAA as a political tool, particularly during elections, and it has not framed the rules as it wants to keep the ‘foreigners’ issue’ alive in Assam. What’s worse is that the party has brought a communal angle through the Act with its narrative ‘Hindu khatre mein hain’ (Hindus are in danger),” AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi told PTI.ALSO READ | No CAA rollout, yet MHA moves to grant citizenship

    The CAA has made the Assam Accord and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) irrelevant, he claimed.

    “The Centre must give constitutional safeguards to Assam like those accorded to other northeastern states against further settlement of ‘foreigners’ as those who came after 1971 – Hindu ‘Bangladeshis’ or others – cannot be rehabilitated in our state,” Raijor Dal working president Bhasco de Saikia said.

    “We are firm on our opposition to the Act which we consider to be a part of the BJP’s communal politics and if they frame the rules, the ‘foreigners’ should be taken to other states,” Saikia said.

    The RSS and the BJP, however, asserted that both the CAA and NRC are not against any Indian and that the communal narrative has been created “by some” for political mileage.

    RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat pointed out here last year that no Muslim will face any persecution due to CAA.

    Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had also asserted that the CAA is for those who are “victims of Partition and persecuted in a communal country created on the basis of religion.”

    Sarma had claimed that “so-called secular protesters” at the national level tried to give a communal colour to the protests in Assam.

    Political writer and analyst Sushanta Talukdar said the government has been delaying the implementation of CAA as it is wary of adverse reactions in Assam and Tripura where the ruling BJP has high stakes.

    “The Centre is apprehensive of exposing linguistic and ethnic fault lines in the Northeast and antagonising its own and alliance partners’ electoral support base because, without adequate constitutional safeguards, the Act could lead to the marginalisation of indigenous people by the migrant population which might result in their loss of political power and identity,” Talukdar added.ALSO READ | ‘Won’t accept foreigners’: Voices against CAA get louder 

    GUWAHATI: Widespread protests in Assam after the enactment of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) on this day three years ago have left behind a festering wound that has kept the citizenship issue alive in the northeastern state sharing a long border with Bangladesh.

    The BJP government at the Centre asserts that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 will be implemented but is yet to frame the rules, leading to allegations from various quarters that the saffron party is using it as a “political card” to polarise the nation.

    The Citizenship Act, of 1955 was amended to provide citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian religious minorities fleeing persecution from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and seeking refuge in India till 2014.

    The Opposition protested the Act as being based on religious criteria and wanted it to be amended.

    The protests against the Act in Assam were led by the All Assam Students Union (AASU) and the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) but the stir was different from those in other parts of the country as agitators asserted that the state cannot be a dumping ground for foreigners irrespective of their religion.

    The agitation in Assam had turned violent, with five people losing their lives in police firing and KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi and four others being arrested. The stir was called off with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    In the aftermath of the agitation, two new political parties — Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) led by the then AASU leader Lurinjyoti Gogoi and Raijor Dal headed by Akhil Gogoi — were born in Assam.

    “The BJP uses CAA as a political tool, particularly during elections, and it has not framed the rules as it wants to keep the ‘foreigners’ issue’ alive in Assam. What’s worse is that the party has brought a communal angle through the Act with its narrative ‘Hindu khatre mein hain’ (Hindus are in danger),” AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi told PTI.ALSO READ | No CAA rollout, yet MHA moves to grant citizenship

    The CAA has made the Assam Accord and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) irrelevant, he claimed.

    “The Centre must give constitutional safeguards to Assam like those accorded to other northeastern states against further settlement of ‘foreigners’ as those who came after 1971 – Hindu ‘Bangladeshis’ or others – cannot be rehabilitated in our state,” Raijor Dal working president Bhasco de Saikia said.

    “We are firm on our opposition to the Act which we consider to be a part of the BJP’s communal politics and if they frame the rules, the ‘foreigners’ should be taken to other states,” Saikia said.

    The RSS and the BJP, however, asserted that both the CAA and NRC are not against any Indian and that the communal narrative has been created “by some” for political mileage.

    RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat pointed out here last year that no Muslim will face any persecution due to CAA.

    Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had also asserted that the CAA is for those who are “victims of Partition and persecuted in a communal country created on the basis of religion.”

    Sarma had claimed that “so-called secular protesters” at the national level tried to give a communal colour to the protests in Assam.

    Political writer and analyst Sushanta Talukdar said the government has been delaying the implementation of CAA as it is wary of adverse reactions in Assam and Tripura where the ruling BJP has high stakes.

    “The Centre is apprehensive of exposing linguistic and ethnic fault lines in the Northeast and antagonising its own and alliance partners’ electoral support base because, without adequate constitutional safeguards, the Act could lead to the marginalisation of indigenous people by the migrant population which might result in their loss of political power and identity,” Talukdar added.ALSO READ | ‘Won’t accept foreigners’: Voices against CAA get louder 

  • Woman declared as ‘foreigner’ not to be deported, tells SC; issues notice to Centre, Assam govt

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and the Assam government on a plea filed by a woman, who was declared a foreigner and whose name was excluded from the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) and directed that no steps be taken for her deportation.

    A bench of justices D Y Chandrachud and Hima Kohli agreed to hear the plea filed by the woman who has challenged the June 2019 verdict of the Gauhati High Court.

    The high court had dismissed her petition, thereby affirming the June 2017 order of the Foreigners Tribunal, Bongaigaon, declaring her to be a foreigner who had illegally entered India from Bangladesh after March 25, 1971.

    Advocate Pijush Kanti Roy, appearing for the woman, told the apex court that all the other members of the petitioner’s family were, however, included in the NRC.

    “Issue notice, returnable in three weeks,” the bench said and posted the matter for hearing on October 17.

    “Till the next date of listing, no steps shall be taken for the deportation of the petitioner,” the apex court said in its order passed on Friday.

    The petitioner submitted before the court that she is a citizen of India by birth. The plea said the parents, siblings and husband of the petitioner are all citizens of India.

    “The petitioner is a citizen of India by birth and entire family members of the petitioner from the side of her parents as well as her in-laws have been declared as Indian citizens by the competent authority,” her plea said.

    “However, the tribunal, as well as the division bench of Gauhati High Court without looking into various exhibited documents, have declared the petitioner as a foreigner, which has resulted in serious miscarriage of justice,” it said.

    It said that in the draft NRC, the name of the petitioner along with her entire family members was appearing.

    However, in the final NRC published by the competent authority, names of entire family members, except her, have been included thereby declaring them as Indian citizens, the plea said.

    It said the petitioner had produced a series of documents in support of her citizenship but neither the tribunal nor the high court relied on them and dismissed her case.

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and the Assam government on a plea filed by a woman, who was declared a foreigner and whose name was excluded from the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) and directed that no steps be taken for her deportation.

    A bench of justices D Y Chandrachud and Hima Kohli agreed to hear the plea filed by the woman who has challenged the June 2019 verdict of the Gauhati High Court.

    The high court had dismissed her petition, thereby affirming the June 2017 order of the Foreigners Tribunal, Bongaigaon, declaring her to be a foreigner who had illegally entered India from Bangladesh after March 25, 1971.

    Advocate Pijush Kanti Roy, appearing for the woman, told the apex court that all the other members of the petitioner’s family were, however, included in the NRC.

    “Issue notice, returnable in three weeks,” the bench said and posted the matter for hearing on October 17.

    “Till the next date of listing, no steps shall be taken for the deportation of the petitioner,” the apex court said in its order passed on Friday.

    The petitioner submitted before the court that she is a citizen of India by birth. The plea said the parents, siblings and husband of the petitioner are all citizens of India.

    “The petitioner is a citizen of India by birth and entire family members of the petitioner from the side of her parents as well as her in-laws have been declared as Indian citizens by the competent authority,” her plea said.

    “However, the tribunal, as well as the division bench of Gauhati High Court without looking into various exhibited documents, have declared the petitioner as a foreigner, which has resulted in serious miscarriage of justice,” it said.

    It said that in the draft NRC, the name of the petitioner along with her entire family members was appearing.

    However, in the final NRC published by the competent authority, names of entire family members, except her, have been included thereby declaring them as Indian citizens, the plea said.

    It said the petitioner had produced a series of documents in support of her citizenship but neither the tribunal nor the high court relied on them and dismissed her case.

  • No decision yet on NRC at national level: Union Minister Nityanand Rai

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai informed Parliament that government is yet to take a decision on preparing the National Register of Citizens at national level.

    Rai was responding to a question by Trinamool Congress MP Mala Roy who asked about the status of having a NRC for the entire country. Roy also asked when the work related to NRC will be completed along with the status of NRC in Assam.

    In a written reply, Rai said, “Till now, the Government has not taken any decision to prepare National Register of Indian Citizens at the national level. On the Supreme Court directions, the supplementary list of inclusions and the list of exclusions for NRC, Assam were published on August 31, 2019.”

  • Buoyed by repealing of farm laws, Trinamool Congress to fuel CAA agitation

    Express News Service

    KOLKATA: After PM Modi’s announcement of repealing the three farm laws, West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress is gearing up to raise the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) issues. Ahead of the West Bengal Assembly polls, the BJP had used these  issues to woo Hindu voters while the TMC had opposed the same to keep its Muslim vote bank intact. 

    With Modi’s ‘tactical retreat’ ahead of Assembly elections in five states, Mamata, eyeing to portray her party nationally as the BJP’s primary opponent, is likely to raise the twin issues during the upcoming electoral exercises.

    The Trinamool Congress high command has asked its cadres to reunite those who staged demonstrations in Kolkata’s Park Circus similar to the way protesters did in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh against  the citizenship law.

    “We have taken a lesson from the farmers’ movement against the three farm Acts. The victory of peasants’ movement has encouraged us to hit the streets again on CAA and NRC issues,” said a senior TMC leader.

    Shortly after Modi’s announcement, a street event with the slogan ‘Be united to secure another victory’ was organised in Kolkata in protest against the CAA. Meanwhile, the forums against CAA are planning sit-in-demonstrations across the state.

    The state capital had witnessed a massive movement in Park Circus, following the Shaheen Bagh model, where hundreds of protesters demonstrated for several days. “The farmers’ protest proved that success comes if a movement is organised in a right direction. We are hopeful that our series of movements in coming days will force the Centre to repeal the CAA,” said Faridul Islam, who was part of the Park Circus movement.

    In the recent Bengal Assembly elections, the BJP attempted to consolidate Hindu electorates with its Hindutva rhetoric, which proved a futile effort. It rather consolidated Muslim voters and the TMC bagged more than 99 per cent of the minority vote-share. Though Modi and Amit Shah promised to implement the CAA and NRC in Bengal, they became mum after the poll debacle.

  • NRC published in August 2019 is final, rules Assam Foreigners’ Tribunal

    By PTI

    GUWAHATI: The National Register of Citizens (NRC) published on August 31, 2019 is the “Final NRC”, ruled a Foreigners’ Tribunal (FT) in Assam, even as the Registrar General of India is yet to notify it.

    Declaring a man Indian citizen, the tribunal in Karimganj district held that though National Identity Cards are yet to be issued, “but there is no doubt that this NRC Assam published in 2019 is nothing but Final NRC”.

    The ruling was given by Sishir Dey, member (attached), FT-II, Karimganj in a ‘D voter’ (doubtful voter) case against one Bikram Singha of Jamirala village in the Patherkandi police station area of the district.

    The case was registered first under the Illegal Migrant (Determination by the Tribunal) Act in 1999.

    ​ALSO READ | Two years of Assam NRC: Uncertainty looms over re-verification process

    It was shifted to FT-I of Karimganj in 2007 after the IM(D)T Act was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2005, and was finally transferred to FT-II in 2017.

    The matter was heard on September 1 this year.

    In its ‘final order and opinion’ issued on September 10, the tribunal said the appearance of Singha’s name in the “Final NRC” establishes his relationship with other members of the family, “though not necessarily and lawfully establishes his citizenship due to pendency of his case” before the FT.

    Maintaining that the pendency of the case before the tribunal might not be traced by the NRC authority, it said “his inclusion of name in Final NRC may be validated only is this reference case is answered in his favour”.

    “The names of other persons of his family in Final NRC may be conclusive proof of their Indian citizenship,” it said, ruling in his favour.

    Addressing the issue of whether the NRC has “attained finality or not” as raised by the government advocate, the tribunal said the NRC was prepared as per provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955, and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003, and on the directions of the Supreme Court.

    ​ALSO READ | NRC applicants’ biometric data locked: Assam pursuing matter with Centre

    The SC had directed for the preparation of the NRC in a time-bound manner, whose last step was mentioned as “Finalisation of Final updated NRC” and the date for the completion of the process was fixed on August 31, 2019, the tribunal mentioned in its order.

    “Accordingly Final NRC (i.e.Supplementary List of NRC together with Draft NRC) has been published on 31.08.2019 which is available online in the official website of NRC Assam wherein it’s referred and mentioned as “Final NRC”. This legal position is still in force,” it added.

    The process of updating the NRC had begun in 2015 and the final list was published on August 31, 2019, with the names of 3.11 crore people.

    Over 19 lakh applicants were left out of it.

    The Registrar General of India is yet to notify it.

    Arguing against consideration of Singha’s name in the NRC as valid evidence, the government advocate said that a person who had a case pending before any Foreigners’ Tribunal was not eligible for inclusion in the ‘Final NRC’ as per the approved standard operating procedure of the authority.

    Besides, he also expressed doubt about the finality of the NRC published on August 31, 2019.

    Singha’s lawyer countered the arguments by pointing out that his name was included in the NRC based on legal documents, and as the “Final NRC” was published under the direction and monitoring of the Supreme Court, there should not be any doubt about its finality or legality.

    She also contended that her client was a citizen of India by birth under Section 3 of the Citizenship Act, 1955.

    Other documents, including land records in the name of Singha’s grandfather from 1968 and employment records of Singha’s father in the Indian Air Force for 29 years from 1972, were also presented in support of his claim, she told the tribunal.

  • Two years of Assam NRC: Uncertainty looms over re-verification process

    By PTI

    GUWAHATI: Two years have gone by since the final draft of NRC was published on this day in Assam, leaving out over 19 lakh applicants, all efforts to overhaul the list, amid cries that genuine names were excluded, have only hit the wall with demands for re-verification of the document still pending before the Supreme Court.

    The National Register of Citizens (NRC) — prepared in accordance with Assam Accord provisions — catalogues names of the “genuine citizens” of the country.

    The initial document was made way back in 1951, based on the data of Independent India’s first census.

    The ones, who did not find a place in the updated list, have since been running from pillar to post, trying to figure out how to get their names enlisted, as uncertainty looms over their future.

    Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, when asked about the concerns over the NRC draft, simply stated here that “the matter is pending in the Supreme Court and I will not like to comment on it”.

    Sarma, on assuming office on May 10, had, however, said that his government wants 20 per cent verification of the names in the border districts and 10 per cent in the remaining districts.

    “If the error found is very negligible, we can proceed with the existing NRC.

    If huge anomalies are found during re-verification, I hope the court will take note of this and do the needful with a new perspective,” he had said back then.

    Several stakeholders claimed that the Supreme Court-monitored exercise carried out to update the list was a “faulty one”, following which aggrieved individuals were told to approach foreigner tribunals set up for the purpose.

    However, the rejection slips required to approach the tribunals have not been issued yet.

    Also, the Registrar General of India is yet to publish the final draft.

    State NRC Coordinator Hitesh Dev Sarma, who is currently undergoing COVID-19 treatment in a hospital, had filed an interlocutory application in the Supreme Court in May this year, seeking a time-bound re-verification of the list as “there were major irregularities in the process”.

    The Assam Public Works (APW), the original petitioner in the Supreme Court for NRC update, also raised a similar demand, holding the former state coordinator Prateek Hajela responsible for the “anomalies”.

    “We have filed eight affidavits — six before the publication of the draft and two seeking re-verification of the list — but there has been no hearing in the Supreme Court on the matter since January 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the president of the NGO, Aabhijeet Sarma, told PTI.

    He further sought to know why no action was taken by the state government against Hajela for the “large-scale financial irregularities that were involved in the process”.

    “We lodged ten complaints with the CBI and the CID alleging huge misappropriation of funds meant for updating the NRC.

    If the government was really interested in unravelling the truth, they could have taken necessary steps,” he asserted.

    The APW may approach the Gauhati High Court on the issue, he added.

    Sarma, on his part, said approximately Rs 1,600 crore was released by the Centre and “we have requested an inquiry into the whole process of funds utilisation”.

    Congress Lok Sabha MP Abdul Khaleque told PTI that the BJP government in the state and the Centre are not “serious about resolving the problems involving the NRC”.

    “I did flag the delay in issuance of rejection slip, during the last session of the Parliament, but the Union Home Minister (Amit Shah) had replied that the pandemic and the flood situation have caused hindrances.

    “We do not go by that excuse as the BJP, it seems, can do everything else except taking the NRC matter ahead,” Khaleque maintained.

    In a similar vein, AIUDF MLA Ashraful Hussain, who was actively involved in helping Muslims of East Bengal (now Bangladesh) to file their documents for the exercise, also called for immediate issuance of the rejection slips.

    He further sought “unblocking” of biometric details of those who have been included in the final list after exclusion in a 2018 draft, as most of them have not been able to procure their Aadhar cards yet.

    The Supreme Court had directed in November 2018 that for those left out of the draft NRC list published on July 31, 2018, it was mandatory to submit their biometrics during the claim hearings.

    Altogether 27 lakh people had registered for biometrics but 19 lakh did not find their names in the final list.

    The Supreme Court, taking up the APW petition in 2013, had asked both the central and state governments to begin the process for updating the NRC, with the creation of an office for a state coordinator.

    The preparation of the updated NRC document, a mammoth exercise involving 52,000 officials who scrutinised over six crore documents, was mired in multiple controversies.

    When the complete draft was released on July 30 2018, over 40 lakh people were excluded from the list.

    An additional 1,02,462 people were left out in June that year, taking the total number of those excluded to 41,10,169.

    However, it got pared down to little over 19 lakh in the final register.

  • NRC applicants’ biometric data locked: Assam pursing matter with Centre

    By PTI

    GUWAHATI: The matter of NRC applicants whose biometric details were locked during the claims and objections phase of the citizenship document update process, and thus making them unable to get their Aadhaar enrolment done has been raised by the Assam government with the appropriate authorities, the state assembly was informed on Monday.

    No eligible beneficiary under Prime Minister Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) scheme or the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in the state was being deprived due to the absence of their Aadhaar cards, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a written reply to a query.

    The biometric details of over 27 lakh NRC applicants were collected during the claims and objections phase while updating the National Register of Citizens, prior to the publishing of the document’s final draft on August 31, 2019.

    However, it is yet to be notified by the Registrar General of India (RGI).

    This data has since been frozen pending completion of the NRC, leaving these people unable to generate their Aadhaar numbers, which has also reportedly led to problems in availing benefits under various government schemes.

    Responding to a question by ruling BJP MLA Kaushik Rai, Sarma informed the House that the state government has raised the issue of a section of the people failing to get their Aadhaar number as their biometric details have been locked with the RGI and the Union home secretary.

    The Supreme Court has directed that an appropriate regime be enacted for NRC data on lines similar to the security regime provided for Aadhaar data.

    Subsequently, the RGI has sanctioned requisite funds for it, with the NRC State Coordinator taking up the project and C-DAC the implementing agency, he added.

    The reply was laid in the House in the name of the chief minister in his capacity as the home minister though he was not present.

    His reply further said linking of Aadhaar details of the beneficiaries under the PMAY-G scheme is not mandatory for Assam yet.

    However, there is a directive from the Ministry of Rural Development to capture and upload Aadhaar details of beneficiaries for the preparation of PMAY-G additional list (Awaas+).

    In case any person is left out of Awaas+ due to non-generation of Aadhaar number, the beneficiary will be included in the eligible list once Aadhaar-like security regime for NRC data is available, according to the reply.

    Similarly, all beneficiaries under NFSA are getting food grains by showing their ration cards and no one is being deprived of their monthly entitled quota due to lack of Aadhaar card, it added.

  • Assam CM says need to balance identity issues, admits to people having reservations on CAA

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said despite confusion among Assamese over the Citizenship Amendment Act, which some felt could turn them into a minority in the state, there was a need to balance identity issues in the larger national interest.

    Sarma speaking at a function where RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat launched a book on CAA and NRC, also asserted the concept of secularism needs to be defined in the context of `Indian civilisation’ and accused the media of being partial towards Left-liberals.

    The chief minister said he would remain a supporter of CAA which in Assam’s context could give citizenship to Hindu migrants from Bangladesh, and added that there was a need to find a way to address concerns over protecting Assamese identity, while finding a way to “balance everything and contribute to nation building”.

    Though he did not clarify what secularism in the context of Indian civilisation meant, his speech seemed to argue that Indian civilisation in his worldview drew strength from Indias culture and religion.

    Attacking Leftist intellectuals, liberals and the media, he claimed the country’s intellectual society is still dominated by left-liberals with the media giving them more space while ignoring alternative voices.

    “An intellectual terrorism has been unleashed and the Left in the country are more leftists than Karl Marx. There is no democracy in media. They have no space for Indian civilisation but there is space for Karl Marx and Lenin”, he claimed.

    India’s right-wing has long disputed the concept of secularism as espoused by both western thinkers and Indian intellectuals who propound that the state needs to be equidistant from adherents of all religions.

    Sarma argued that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) the subject of the book being released, cannot give equal rights to Hindu and Muslim migrants from neighbouring countries.

    Referring to the Citizenship Amendment Act, Sarma said that two perspectives have evolved on the act.

    For protestors from outside Assam, the demand is that Hindu migrants alone should not be given citizenship, Muslim migrants too should be covered.

    In Assam, however, the protest against the Act focussed on a demand that neither Hindus nor Muslims from other countries should be given citizenship.

    “It was the so-called secular protestors at the national level who tried to give a communal colour to the entire protests”, he claimed.

    The CAA is for those “who are victims of partition and not for beneficiaries of a communal country created on the basis of religion”, he said, adding that if Muslim migrants from neighbouring countries could prove they had been discriminated against in their countries of origin, India would be willing to grant them citizenship.

    The CAA enacted in 2019 says Indian citizenship, may be granted to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, Parsis and Christians from neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who migrated to India before December 31, 2014 and had suffered “religious persecution or fear of religious persecution” in their country of origin.

    Opposition leaders have in the past when the act was being debated in Parliament, pointed out that several Islamic sects too face discrimination in neighbouring countries and that persecution could not be limited to only religious persecution, but could extend to political and social persecution too.

    Sarma argued there were concerns among Assamese people that if Bengali Hindu migrants who have migrated from Banglaesh post-March 1971, are regularised as Indian citizens, then the Assamese speaking people may turn into a minority in the state.

    “People are in deep confusion sometime we say language is our greatest strength, sometime we say civilisation is our strength. But if we see the election results from 2016 to 2021 people have said it loud and clear that civilisational issue is important and we want to protect our culture, religion and identity”, he claimed.

    Analysts have long pointed out that the BJPs twin moves to have a National Register of Citizens which strikes off the names of those the state doubts are its citizens and interns them in camps and to give Hindu Bengali migrants citizenship through the CAA are in a way an attempt to placate both Assamese and Bengali sentiments in the state, but end up being contradictory.

    This contradiction was exploited by leaders like Akhil Gogoi who led a movement in Assam against the CAA and founded a new party Rajyor Dal which attracted eyeballs though it did not fare well electorally.

    “I will remain a supporter of CAA but we will have to address the identity issues, protect our own culture and the Assamese people will (have to ) find a way out where they will balance everything and contribute to the nation building” , Sarma said.