Not a single Hindu will have to leave this country because of NRC, asserts RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat

September 25: During a closed-door coordination meeting of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliate organisations, including the BJP in Kolkata on Sunday, its chief Mohan Bhagwat sought to allay fears that Hindus whose names are missing from the National Register of Citizens (NRC) need not fear as their exclusion from the list will not mean their expulsion from the country. A functionary of the RSS, not wishing to be named but aware of the developments provided the inputs.

Bhagwat’s comments come in the backdrop of concerns raised at the RSS’ 3-day annual coordination meeting with its affiliates in Rajasthan earlier this month about “several genuine people being left out of the final NRC list in Assam, the majority of whom were Hindus.” The final NRC list of Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) was published on 31 August, 2019. Out of a total number of 3,30,27,661 applicants, the names of 3,11,21,004 were included in the final NRC. That means a total of 19,06,657 persons were excluded from the NRC.

Another functionary said the Sangh has underlined the need for bringing the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in the forthcoming winter session of Parliament. The Sangh has also asked its cadre in Assam to reach out to allay fears of those Hindus whose names are not on the NRC list. The RSS has been pushing for citizenship to be provided to “persecuted Hindus”, claiming that India is the only place for the community.

There seems to arise here a difference between the stand of BJP and RSS on the issue of providing citizenship to the Hindus. According to BJP, only those Hindus who have fled from from Bangladesh and Pakistan due to religious persecution and have taken shelter in India will be granted citizenship. But for the RSS, Hindus persecuted anywhere will find a place in India.

In this connection, it needs mention that RSS Sarsanghchalak  Mohan Bhagwat is scheduled to visit Silchar on a 3-day trip to the Cachar district beginning this Friday.