Re-verification necessary for a correct NRC, says Assam BJP chief

The Assam unit of BJP has said that a re-verification exercise of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) should be undertaken to ensure a correct process.

“Some people just want NRC. Centre and state demanded that for a correct NRC there should be re-verification of 20 percent entries in border areas and 10 percent in general areas. NRC has already taken so much time. What is the harm if it takes six months or three more months,” said Ranjeet Dass, president of the Assam BJP, adding that in the NRC draft “there were Assamese people who were excluded.”

Dass claimed that wrong objections were filed against people whose names were included in NRC draft and added that the August 7 hearing in the Supreme Court offers another chance.

“We want to pray to authorities concerned that there is another hearing on August 7. In the interest of the people of Assam, some more time should be given and verification should be done,” he said.

In its order on July 23, the Supreme Court had rejected pleas by the state and the Centre for a sample re-verification after taking into account a report submitted by Prateek Hajela, the state coordinator of the NRC, which said that a 27% re-verification has already been done during the course of hearings of the claims and objections.

Hajela, in his detailed report, gave district-wise figures of this re-verification, according to the SC order.

In June, the NRC secretariat had published an additional list of exclusions which had over 1,00,000 names. In a statement, the NRC secretariat had said this list was published after verification under the NRC rules.

Dass, meanwhile, questions the re-verification claims. “Claims and objections hearings are not re-verification,” he said, adding that the state and the Centre and even the general public was not informed of the re-verification undertaken by the NRC secretariat.

There is uncertainty on the fate of those who are out of the NRC list once it is published on August 31, the new deadline. Dass said people who are out of NRC should continue to enjoy rights till they are declared foreigners by appropriate courts.

The state BJP chief asaid he was against declared foreigners being put in detention camps which run out of jails. “Foreigners should be pushed back or deported. Why should they be kept in a detention camps in jails,” he said.

He conceded that declared foreigners who are not accepted by Bangladesh cannot be pushed back or deported.

Dass said he has been told that the new detention centres will be built like a village. The Assam government recently sent a proposal to the Centre for 10 detention camps in the state. At present, there are six detention centres which run out of overcrowded jails.