Assam NRC | A Real Issue or Much Ado About Nothing?

Was the NRC a futile exercise? A much ado about nothing? The Quint’s Neeraj Gupta argues.

Is NRC a real issue or a political gamble?

(Photo: The Quint)

Since the final NRC list was released, people of Assam as well as political leaders were outraged. These political leaders not only include opposition parties like Congress and AISU but also BJP leaders who have questioned the reliability of the NRC.

The name of a retired brigadier who fought in the 1965 Indo-Pak war is excluded in the final list. So is the name of a retired JCO who fought in the Kargil war. Even the names of an AIUDF MLA and his son are missing. In some families, the father’s name is in the list while the son’s name is not. In some, it is the other way round.

So an issue which maligned the country's image on a global forum, posed a threat to Assam's culture and heritage and helped the BJP come to power, was a fake drill?

This begs several other questions about the motive behind exercising the NRC:

• Was the intention to turn outrage against foreigners into outrage against Muslims and use it for political gains?
• Is that the reason why Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari has proposed implementation of NRC in the national capital ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls.
• Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh has demanded implementation of NRC in West Bengal.
• BJP leader from Punjab, Vineet Joshi has made a similar demand.

The word on how Bangladeshi intruders have been destroying the culture and heritage of Assam and how they are snatching from the people of Assam what is rightfully theirs, is doing the rounds. Is Assam's heritage so weak that it can be damaged by only 6% of its total population. How much can 6% people snatch from the remaining 94%?

In Politics, All Are Peas in a Pod

Why should BJP share the blame alone?

• Former home minister in the united front government, Indrajit Gupta said on 6 May 1997 that there are 1 crore illegal immigrants in the country.
• On 15 July 2004 former home minister in the UPA government, Sriprakash Jaiswal said in the Parliament that there are 1 crore 20 lakh illegal immigrants in the country, of which 50 lakh reside in Assam alone.
• India's current Home Minister, Amit Shah, during his poll campaigns in 2019 re-declared BJP's intention of extraditing Bangladeshi intruders.

The entire process that has been in place for several years sped up since 2015. When the Supreme Court started monitoring the issue did the country’s apex court get swayed by emotions too?

What Is the Alternative For Those Left out of the Final NRC List?

Every person excluded from the final NRC list can knock at the Foreign Tribunal's door. If the Foreign Tribunal is not convinced, they would be taken to the foreign detention camp. They can then appeal to the Guwahati High Court or the Supreme Court. The courts will take a final call on whether one is an Indian citizen or not.

Atithi Devo Bhava!

In a country of philosophy, the number of voters must have increased in the register of politics. Now coming to the question raised by the Vice Chancellor of NALSAR University of Hyderabad, Professor Faizan Mustafa: National Human Rights Commission had knocked the Supreme Court's doors, in support of the refugees of the Chakma community of Bangladesh. Will NHRC do the same in case of Bangladeshi immigrants?