70,000 declared foreigners have found their way in NRC & electoral rolls, claimed Upamanyu Hazarika

Guwahati: Senior advocate and Independent candidate for Guwahati Lok Sabha constituency Upamanyu Hazarika on Tuesday claimed that the 70,000 declared foreigners who were reported to be missing have found their way in the NRC as well as electoral rolls.

He also claimed that it is a matter of shame that all major political parties in Assam, who have fought and are fighting the present election on the foreigner’s issues should keep silent in this regard.

"It only shows their cynical disregard towards the issues on which they are fighting the elections. If on one hand, the BJP is fighting the elections of reiterating its earlier election promises of throwing out foreigners, the Congress is fighting it in the Brahmaputra valley on the Citizenship Amendment Bill. The record and actions of all these parties are otherwise, the Congress wants to keep all Bangladeshis and the BJP professes to keep only the Hindus but like the Congress wants to keep all," said Hazarika.

All the three major political parties have indigenous leaders at their helm and they occupy such position by virtue of representing the majority indigenous communities but have shown no hesitation in betraying their own people, stated Upamanyu Hazarika.

Also, blaming Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Hazarika said that he maintains a clever silence so that he can escape responsibility and continue to cling on to the Chief Minister’s post and on the other hand, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma blames the AAMSU and Arshad Madani for inclusion of foreigners in the NRC, when the NRC process is carried out under the control and supervision of his party’s Government in the Centre and State.

"Former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi during his tenure successfully established Bangladeshis in Upper Assam right up to Sarupathar so that there is a secure vote bank for his son in Kaliabor. After Kaliabor slips out of the indigenous grasp like Dhubri and Barpeta, his son can then nurture Jorhat constituency for himself by getting in more Bangladeshis there," added Hazarika.

Hazarika further informed that the last four years of the NRC process have amply proved that all our political parties and leaders in power and out of power are only too ready to betray the indigenous cause.

"There are multiple recent instances of declared foreigners having found their names in the electoral rolls and in spite of having filed a 163 page submission pointing out glaring discrepancies in the NRC on August 26, 2018, and the Supreme Court has directed sample re-verification of 10% NRC draft inclusions, the Government has taken no steps and the effort of all political parties including the Government is seeking relaxation of norms to include all those left out from the NRC," adding, "They have made the entire NRC process a farce. The only way now is to form an independent committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge and the re-verification of NRC to be carried out by an official from other states as many local ground level officials trace their origins in present-day Bangladesh and might have affinities towards those people. These steps are very crucial to save indigenous people from becoming a minority in Assam and also to ensure their survival in future," Hazarika added further.