NRC

In the last two years National Register  for Citizens (NRC) has been in the news, and the controversy associated with it. Now what is NRC- in a simple sense it is a register where records of Indian citizens is supposed to being recorded state wise. The north eastern states, which were facing infiltration from neighbouring countries ( Bangladesh and Myanmar) were the first to demand that the exercise for this record should be initiated, so that the illegal immigrants can be deported back to their country from where they have come to India in illegal manner. Assam state made an official request to Central govt in this regard, but UPA govt at centre kept mum on this topic.

When Narendra Modi led NDA came to power at centre in 2014, they started the process of formulation of NRC. Assam was the first state where this exercise of NRC commenced, but at that time most of the opposition parties protested against NRC, and some of them started saying BJP is doing this exercise to filter out the Muslims, not withstanding the fact the most of the illegal immigrants who were settled in Assam are from Bangladesh and Myanmar. From both these countries majority of the illegal immigrants are from Muslim community. For some parties Muslims are their vote banks, and just to please them this protest started in a big way. Some parties even approach the Supreme Court (SC), which indirectly upheld the NRC process but  directed that this exercise should be conducted under the supervision of SC.

After all the trouble the first preliminary list of NRC was published on line in mid 2018, and then hell broke loose because there were so many mistakes in the compiled list that Assamese were aghast. In certain cases it so happened that husband is in the list but wife is not, Grandfather is in the list,  his son is not there in the list but the grand children are there in the list. There were so many discrepancies in the list, and Assamese people started getting worried that what will happen to them. Then the govt announce that  people with their complaints can approach the tribunal’s  district level officer with their records, so that discrepancies can be corrected. After few months the revised and final list was published but people still were left un happy as their name were still not there in NRC.

Now, yesterday, Home Minister Amit Shah made a statement in Rajya Sabha that National Register of Citizen (NRC) would be implemented across the country. He added that “ NRC process in Assam was conducted under SC order and under separate law. When NRC will be launched across the country then , naturally, the exercise will be repeated in Assam”. It only means that what ever exercise done earlier will go waste. I presume that whatever lacunae were there in earlier exercise are sorted out, and mistakes like last time will not be repeated again.

As per govt sources NRC can only happen after the National Population Register (NPR) is updated, which will be done alongside census 2021. After NPR’s verification process is over, the process of National register of Indian Citizens (NRIC) can begin. As of now the NPR is not being taken up in Assam and the final NRC published will be updated along with NRIC. So it looks like the exercise for NRIC will not begin before end 2022. As per Amit Shah “ NRC will be carried out across the country. No one irrespective of their religion should be worried. It is just a process to get everyone under NRC”.

Mamta Banerjee, the CM of West Bengal, who is always loggerheads with BJP govt at centre gave  a statement that “ There are few people who are trying to create disturbances in the name of NRC implementation. I want to make it very clear, we will  never allow NRC in Bengal”. I do understand why Mamta Banerjee is against NRC. Is it because of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who with the help of local govt have become Indian citizens, and are considered to be her party’s vote bank?

Even Home Minister of Assam stated that in the present form NRC is flawed and hence it should be dismissed. The reason being in the list there are ineligible who were included while scores of genuine Indian citizens were excluded. He showed his happiness that NRC process will be carried out across the country, after the Citizen Amendment Bill (CAB) has been passed.

This CAB was introduced in last Lok Sabha, but lapsed because term of Lok Sabha ended. What is CAB- this bill will provide citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who have fled to India to avoid religious persecution. This bill is meant for these refugees  who have fled to India, and who are being discriminated in their original country on the basis of religion, get India citizenship.

While the opposition benches in the parliament are accusing the govt of discrimination against Muslims. Amit Shah said that govt accepted that Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Christian, Parsi refugees should get Indian citizenship on specific grounds and that is why CAB is being considered.

I do not understand why opposition is harping on exclusion of Muslims in CAB. The bill specifically said Hindu Buddhist, Sikhs, Parsi and Christian from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and all these three are Islamic nations and why Muslims from these countries should be given Indian citizenship. On the case to case basis Muslims are still being given Indian citizenship, and the classic case which came to limelight recently was of singer Adnan Sami, who was born Pakistani then procured British citizenship was granted Indian citizenship few years back.

What you say, my friends.

Anil Malik

Mumbai, India

21^st Nov 2019