Commenting on the entire National Register of Citizens (NRC) controversy, BJP chief Amit Shah on Tuesday said Congress and other political parties who are speaking against it should clear their stand on Bangladeshi infiltrators.
“Congress TMC and other parties who are speaking against NRC should clear their stand on Bangladeshi infiltrators,” said Amit Shah.
Sharpy criticising Mamata Banerjee, Shah alleged Trinamool Congress leader is trying to incite the fear of civil war for vote bank politics.
“I heard many parties speak in the house (Rajya Sabha) but surprisingly none of them mentioned that this is just a draft list that this is not the final list,” he added.
He also clarified that only the names of those excluded from the list who failed to provide proof.
“Only the names of those people have been excluded from the list who have not been able to submit proof of their citizenship,” Shah said.
"By encouraging infiltrators, how can we ensure security at the borders and internal security of the nation? I firmly believe NRC is for the security of the country. We will fully implement SC's judgement on it," Shah said.
BJP never changed its stand on infiltrators, Shah stressed. He also said that he was not allowed to speak in the Rajya Sabha by the opposition parities on Tuesday.
Attacking the Congress party, he said, “Congress started the NRC is 2005 but failed to implement it. It was taken over by the Narendra Modi-led government.”
NRC was implemented for the protection of human rights of Indian citizens, BJP chief said.
Shah hit out at the erstwhile UPA governments charging the Congress with not having the courage to identify illegal migrants in Assam, an exercise which was to be conducted as part of the accord signed by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985.
He noted that the NRC was the spirit of the 1985 Assam Accord which sought to identify illegal migrants into Assam and prepare a list of Indian citizens.
Shah said former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had signed the Assam Accord on August 14, 1985, after the movement in the state went out of control leading to the death of some protesters.
"This was the Congress PM's initiative. He (Rajiv Gandhi) did not have the courage. We have the courage and we are doing it," he informed the House.
Earlier in the day while participating in a discussion on the issue of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam in the Rajya Sabha, Shah said the exercise was conducted under the supervision of the Supreme Court.
"NRC is being conducted on the SC order. There are 40 lakh people (missing in the list) ... Whom do you want to save? You want to save illegal Bangladeshis," the BJP chief asked.
The Rajya Sabha had taken up the discussion by doing away with the Question Hour, but the debate was disrupted due to vociferous protests by TMC, Congress and some other parties which finally led Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to adjourn the House for the day.
WATCH VIDEO: Was not allowed to speak in Rajya Sabha: Amit Shah on Assam NRC row
(With PTI inputs)
