Opposition Seeks President’s Intervention National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam

NRC update

A CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI, Aug 9: Continuing their protest against National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, a delegation of United Opposition on Thursday urged President Ram Nath Kovind to ensure that not a single Indian citizen was excluded from the NRC list.

“We have appealed to the President of India that not a single Indian should be excluded from the NRC lists,” said TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay.

The delegation of Opposition parties includes the Congress, TMC and the Left.

In a memorandum submitted to the President, the Opposition leaders accused the government of undermining the nation’s democratic and secular values and alleged that the draft NRC had resulted in the exclusion of “40 lakh Indians.”

The Opposition parties have also accused the government of spreading misleading statements against the Supreme Court over the NRC issue.

“The NRC had resulted in the exclusion of over 40 lakh Indian citizens, including Bengalis, Assamese, Rajasthanis, Marwaris, Biharis, Gorkhas, Punjabis, those from Uttar Pradesh and the southern States and tribals, who were residents of Assam for a very long period,” the delegation said.

The aftermath of the NRC 2018 was an example of the ruling dispensation threatening and attempting to ruin the country’s great institutions like the Constitution, Parliament, the judiciary and the media, it alleged.

“As the custodian of these great institutions, we appeal and urge you to ensure that not a single Indian citizen is excluded from the NRC list in Assam,” the leaders said.

The member in the delegation included Anand Sharma of the Congress, Mohammad Salim of the CPI(M), HD Deve Gowda of the JD(S), YS Chowdhary of the TDP and Sanjay Singh of the AAP.