advertisement
Extending support to the much-discussed National Register of Citizens of India (NRC) report, Army Chief Bipin Rawat in an interview to news channel Times Now on Wednesday, 21 November, said that political parties opposing NRC are undermining national security as “illegal immigrants need to be deported.”
The remarks made by the army chief comes ahead of the final list of NRC to be submitted in December as announced by the Home Ministry in July.
Without disclosing names of political parties, Rawat further alleged that illegal migrants in the country are being helped by “some political parties” to obtain citizenship.
Earlier in February, Rawat during a seminar on the northeast at DRDO Bhavan, Delhi had triggered a controversy after he alleged that the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in Assam was pushing illegal migrants in the country.
In the interview, Rawat defending the Indian army stated that the accusations against the army over human rights abuses and fake encounter are false. He added that individuals making false accusations against soldiers should be held responsible as these are “attempts to malign the institution.”
When asked about media reports on fake encounters by the army, Rawat claimed that punishment has been served those who were found guilty of doing it.
He also highlighted that “third parties like NGOs” formed by political parties are making false claims against the army for their political gains.
(With inputs from The Times of India and IANS.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)