New Delhi: The Communist Party of India today demanded that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) must be made inclusive and not at all exclusive.
In a statement here today, CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said his party noted with serious concern that with the publication of final draft of the NRC, the RSS-BJP governments at the Centre and Assam are using the same as a new weapon to create a communal divide for further polarization. He condemned the move of the governments in the Centre and Assam to drop around 40 lakh Indian citizens, who have been residing in Assam for generations and have nothing to do with the time stipulated by the Supreme Court. “The move is perhaps a calculated one to create chaos and test the waters by announcing an incomplete draft”, he added.
As stated by NRC authority out of total 3.29 crore applicants, 2.89 crore are included in the final draft which means around 40 lakh are not included in the draft. There are a lot of anomalies in the preparation of the draft and a large number of women of all communities and ethnic groups are left out, who had submitted Panchayat certificates as approved by the Supreme Court as valid document. A large number of applicants, who deposited ration cards as supporting evidence was reportedly rejected. Some family members of a single family, who used the same legacy are surprisingly not included in the draft, he added.
The CPI leader said, “Illegal immigration is an important issue in Assam. Though the Supreme Court directed for the National Register of Citizens, it is a complicated issue. Millions of people cannot be thrown out of citizenship at a stroke. Most of the people whose names are not in the NRC are poor and hence there should be a humanitarian solution than a technical one.
The CPI leader demanded that time limit for claims for inclusion of names must be extended as large numbers of people are left out from the final draft. No action should be taken against anybody on the basis of the draft, he said and warned against the RSS-BJP attempts to whip up all kinds of divisive sentiments and tensions in the Assam and appealed to all Assamese people to remain calm, united and peaceful without falling prey to any kind of provocations. (NSS)
