Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: The Assam BJP wants a total do-over of the National Register of Citizens. On Saturday, November 14, party spokesperson Manas Sarania rejected the existing NRC as insufficient without a full, legally mandated reverification. He insists that error-free electoral rolls remain essential to protect the state and its people.
Sarania traced the demand for clean rolls back to the six-year Assam Movement. That fight cost 860 lives. He claims the Congress party plays politics with the issue. The BJP has tracked flaws in the list since it dropped on August 31, 2019.
Sarania highlighted a gap between historical estimates of illegal migration and the current NRC results. Former Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia once put the number of illegal migrants at 30 lakh in 1992. Later, Indrajit Gupta cited 40 lakh in 1997, and Sriprakash Jaiswal claimed 50 lakh in 2004. By contrast, the current NRC excluded 19 lakh people. The BJP notes that this total includes roughly 12 lakh indigenous residents.
The party backed its call for a review using data from former NRC State Coordinator Hitesh Dev Sarma. A look at the Chhaygaon Revenue Circle showed 14,183 people failed to meet eligibility standards. A follow-up check of 30,791 individuals revealed discrepancies in over 24 percent of cases. "The scale of anomalies detected in a single revenue circle underscores the necessity for a statewide reverification, particularly in border districts," Sarania said.
The BJP also blasted the Congress for demanding the current list stay as is. Sarania accused the opposition of letting former coordinator Prateek Hajela botch the process to help illegal immigrants gain status. The BJP now promises to pursue a lawful reverification to ensure only citizens hold voting rights.
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