Former CM Tarun Gogoi says MHA has Failed to Give Assam a Correct NRC

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has said that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has failed to give Assam a correct NRC (National Register of Citizens). Addressing the press at his residence on Saturday, Gogoi came down heavily on the State and the Central governments. “I had doubt that the NRC being updated now would be in the interest of the people of the State. And now my doubt has even thickened. The government won’t be a correct NRC. It will be no less than a waste paper. Instead of solving the problem of foreigners in the State, it’ll create more problems. The names many genuine Indian citizens like Bengali Hindus, Nepalis, Tea Tribes and Muslims will be dropped from the NRC,” he said.

The former Chief Minister doubts the role of the BJP on NRC update. “The NRC is being updated in the State in accordance with the Assam Accord. However, at the same time, the BJP wants to get the Citizenship Amendment Bill passed. The Bill goes against the Assam Accord,” he said.

On the Assam government doubting the role of State NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela, Gogoi said, “If foreigners’ names have been included in the NRC or genuine Indians’ names excluded from it for the fault of an official, there should’ve been inquiry against the official. However, the BJP-led government has stopped short of taking any such a step as they want to keep the problem alive. The BJP government alleges that Hajela has enabled Bangladesh-origin people entering the NRC. If that’s so, why hasn’t the government take action against him? Is the government napping? He’s not a constitutional authority. He’s just a government servant. He’s directly answerable to the administration. Why hasn’t be been removed as yet? Actually, the BJP government is not at all serious on the issue. I’ve never seen Union Home Minister Amit Shah discussing this issue with the State Government. Now the BJP is condemning its own government on the NRC. If NRC takes five years in a state like Assam, how can the BJP-led government make NRC a reality in the entire country?”

Also Read: Ruling Party MLAs Target NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela