NRC does not give indigenous status to non-protected class of people : BJSM

From our Correspondent

Kokrajhar, Jan 2: Bodoland Jajati Suraksha Mancha (BJSM) on Tuesday said that the NRC update from 1971 was not legally valid as it had no constitutiol sanction and parliamentary approval, and thus it was illegal. The president of the Mancha, Jaklal Basumatary said the Boroland Jajati Suraksha Manch rejected the hope of Assamese non-tribal people that the NRC gave them the right of constitutiol safeguard of indigenous people of Assam. He said NRC was simply list of citizens of India and it included both indigenous and non-indigenous people of Assam. Basumatary said in this NRC even the illegal foreigners from 1951 to 1971 were included as Indian citizens illegally. “How can they be indigenous people of Assam?” he questioned.

He also said any migrant from other country or other State of India was not indigenous. In the present NRC all the mes of these interl and exterl migrants had been included, he said, adding that the constitutiol safeguard was granted to those indigenous people who needed protection from exploitation and extinction by the socially and religiously powerful society.

“In India constitutiol safeguard is already granted only to tribal people for being socially and religiously weaker section of the society. In Assam, the Assamese and Bengali speaking people and Hindus and Muslims are not indigenous for being an influential and stronger society,” he said. The tribal leader said no constitutiol special safeguard was available for them and thus BJSM rejected the hope to become indigenous on the basis of this NRC.