AMN
The National Secretariat of the Communist Party of India CPI has expressed serious concern and annoyance over the publication of draft NRC list.
It said that the RSS-BJP governments at the Centre and State are using the same as a new weapon to create a communal divide for further polarization.
The Party strongly condemns the move of the governments in the Centre and Assam to drop around 40 lakhs of Indian citizens who have been residing in Assam for generations and have nothing to do with the time stipulated by the Supreme Court. The move is perhaps a calculated one to create chaos and test the waters by announcing an incomplete draft.
As stated by NRC authority out of total 3.29 crore applicants, 2.89 crores are included in the final draft which means around 40 lakhs are not included in the draft. It is alarming large numbers. Also there are a lot of anomalies in the preparation of the draft. A large number of women of all communities and ethnic groups are left out who had submitted Panchayat certificates as approved by the Supreme Court as valid document. A large number of applicants who deposited ration cards as supporting documents were reportedly rejected. Some family members of a single family who used the same legacy are surprisingly not included in the draft. Large number of people are in rural areas. They must be helped in all manners.
Illegal immigration is an important issue in Assam. Though the Supreme Court directed for the National Register of Citizens, it is a complicated issue. Millions of people cannot be thrown out of citizenship at a stroke. Most of the people whose names are not in the NRC are poor and hence there should be a humanitarian solution than a technical one.
The Party demands that time limit for claims for inclusion of names must be extended as large numbers of people are left out from the final draft. No action should be taken against anybody on the basis of the draft. The Party also warns against the RSS-BJP attempts to whip up all kinds of divisive sentiments and tensions in the state and appeals to all Assamese people to remain calm, united and peaceful without falling prey to any kind of provocations.