Waiting for SC permission to start fresh NRC updation: Himanta Biswa Sarma
First Published: 3rd February, 2021 21:58 IST
The Assam government is waiting for the permission of the Supreme Court to initiate a fresh drive to update National Register of Citizens (NRC), Health, Education and Finance Minister Himanta
The Assam government is waiting for the permission of the Supreme Court to initiate a fresh drive to update National Register of Citizens (NRC), Health, Education and Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday.
The state NRC Coordinator has already submitted “a very good affidavit” in the Gauhati High Court highlighting why we need a fresh update of the NRC, the minister said at a press conference here.
The updation will “mainly depend on the Supreme Court permission”, Sarma said.
The final NRC was published on August 31, 2019 by excluding 19,06,657 persons with a total of 3,11,21,004 names included out of the 3,30,27,661 applicants. After publication of the final NRC, almost all the stakeholders and political parties had criticized it as a faulty document citing many cases of exclusion of indigenous people and inclusion of illegal migrants.
Sarma said in Assam there are two types of Muslims- the indigenous or Assamese Muslims and the migrants or ”miya” Muslims- with the former inextricably linked with the culture and traditions of the state while to determine the status of the latter, “the NRC is not yet done properly”.
The Supreme Court had on January 29 last issued notice to the Assam NRC State Coordinator, Hitesh Dev Sarma, on a plea seeking directions issued by him for unilaterally deleting names from the final NRC.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde heard the submissions of senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared on behalf of the petitioners, Jamaat-e-Ulema and All Assam Minorities Students Union (AAMSU), and issued the notice.
The petitioners sought intervention of the court against the directions/communications sent by Sarma to all the Deputy Commissioners and District Registrars of Citizen Registration in Assam, directing deletion of ineligible person along with their descendants, who had already been included in the final NRC draft which was prepared under constant monitoring of the apex court.
With the state assembly elections only months away, the minister attacked the Congress, accusing it of dividing Assam in many ways and bringing the level of political debate to a “very low level”. “They have no issues to focus upon and are making useless statements on which there can be no debate. They no longer raise the issues of NRC or implementation of clause six of the Assam Accord”, he said. The peoples” mood ahead of the polls can be gauged from the huge turnout at the various meetings that are being held by the BJP leaders at different places in the state, he said.
“During the last six months and even during the COVID-19 situation, we have taken up so many developmental works that people are happy with what the BJP has done in the state”, Sarma claimed.
A politician should never hesitate to go to the people and “just like Sachin Tendulkar was liked for the runs he scored, we are liked by the people when we go to them”, he said exuding confidence before elections expected in March-April.
He said that the BJP government has done development work in all areas of the state, including in the Muslims dominated areas where “we know people will not vote for us”. “We will continue with our development works in all areas and may be when education, health and other schemes reach these areas, the communal element or religious intolerance will decrease but this will take time”, he added. PTI
COMMENTS
TOPMOST STORY NOW
Live Lok Sabha Polls- Manipur: EVMs at 4 polling stations reportedly destroyed in Oinam village
26th April 2024Live Lok Sabha Polls- Manipur: Cong demands repoll in 17 polling stations in Ukhrul
26th April 2024Live Mizoram: 11 involved in state’s biggest scam and potentially in Northeast arrested
26th April 2024Live First reax of Meghalaya Dy CM Sniawbhalang Dhar after supected petrol bomb hurled at his residence
26th April 2024WE RECOMMEND
Tripura, Manipur, Assam records high voter turnout till 11 am
Polling is going on in 88 parliamentary constituencies across 13 states and Union Territories in the second phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
26th April 2024Lok Sabha polls phase 2: Voting in 7 Northeast seats begins, 74 candidates in fray
Voting for the 15 Parliamentary constituencies was held in the first phase on April 19.
26th April 2024Lok Sabha Polls Phase 2: Assam goes to polls tomorrow amid soaring temperatures
The temperature has already crossed 37degree Celsius raising concerns on what lies ahead in the coming months.
25th April 2024Lok Sabha Polls- Assam: Over 77 lakh voters to seal fate of 61 candidates in second phase tomorrow
A total of 9133 polling stations have been set up for the conduct of the elections in 5 parliamentary constituencies
25th April 2024Row over Chakma-Hajong: Union Minister Rijiju says his comments were twisted, misinterpreted; attempt to tarnish Assam CM’s image
Rijiju alleged that his remark has been fabricated to create confusion at a time when Lok Sabha polls are underway.
25th April 2024