Asserting that the July 30 Assam National Register of Citizen (NRC) was not the final draft, Home Minister Rajnath Singh has reiterated the government's assurance that no coercive action will be taken against anyone. Speaking in Rajya Sabha on Friday said that the NRC was draft was prepared as per the Supreme Court's directive and that it being updated constantly. Responding to allegations that the NRC process was initiated for political gains, Rajnath Singh took the opportunity to corner the Congress and said that NRC was based on the Assam Accord which was inked during late PM Rajiv Gandhi's tenure.
“The procedure of NRC was started in 1985 through the Assam Accord when late Rajiv Gandhiji was the PM. The decision to update was taken by Dr Manmohan Singh ji in 2005," the Home Minister said.
Rajnath Singh stressed that the Assam NRC draft, which has triggered a huge debate across the country, is completely transparent. He said that there was an attempt to create an atmosphere of fear in the country by some vested interests over the issue. "Some people are trying to create communal disharmony over the issue," Rajnath said.
He said the whole aim behind the NRC is to identify infiltrators.
The much-anticipated draft of the NRC was published on July 30 with 2.9 crore names out of the total 3.29 crore applicants in Assam. The exclusion of nearly 40 lakh people in the NRC draft triggered an uproar in country with the Opposition parties accusing the BJP-led NDA government of trying to divide the country on religious lines.
Both Houses of Parliament have been witnessing protests by the Opposition over the issue ever since the citizens list was released. Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has been leading the charge against the Modi government over the NRC issue.
"If it goes on like this, don't you think it will create a civil war and lead to blood bath?" Mamata said at an event in New Delhi earlier this week.
She even sent a delegation of party lawmakers to Silchar, Assam, to campaign against the NRC. However, the eight-member delegation was detained at the airport on Thursday (August 2).
WATCH: No coercive action will be taken against anyone, Rajnath Singh assures in Rajya Sabha
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