NRC again! Another round of harassment awaits for the common people, alleges Tamal Banik

March 25: Gone are those days, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would raise slogans demanding the closing down of ‘detention camps.’ The Election Manifesto of BJP for the state of Assam released on Tuesday by the national president of the party JP Nadda who said, “We are committed to bringing a corrected NRC to secure and protect Assam.” Taking at dig at the BJP, Congress candidate from Silchar constituency Tamal Kanti Banik said after squandering more than Rs.1600 crore from the exchequer and awarding tremendous harassment to the common people in the name of National Register of Citizens (NRC), the BJP has again now declared to come up with a ‘Corrected NRC’ in their Election Manifesto for Assam.

“The NRC was finalised during the regime of the double government, that is, when both at the Centre and the State (Assam), BJP was in power. The Supreme Court bench which spearheaded the NRC hearings was then led by the Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who after his retirement was adorned to the coveted post of MP in the Upper House of the Parliament by the BJP. The State NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela was also the then blue eyed officer of the ruling BJP. That means, when the NRC was finalised, the BJP was in power in the centre and also in Assam. But now the BJP now is claiming that the NRC prepared during their regime was incorrect and assuring to make a corrected NRC if they come back to power in Assam. Is not it a strange self-contradictory claim made by them?” added Tamal Kanti Banik.

On Thursday, a press meet was organised at the District Congress Office, Silchar which was attended by former Silchar MP & President of All India Mahila Congress Sushmita Dev, Spokesperson of INC Sharmistha Mukherjee, who is daughter of former Indian President Sharmistha Mukherjee, Congress candidate from Silchar constituency Tamal Kanti Banik and District Congress Spokesman Jyotirindra Dey.

Speaking during the occasion, Sharmistha Mukherjee recalled the ideology followed by her father when he was a Congress leader. Under no circumstances, detention camps can be tolerated in a civilised nation. Those who left their home and hearth and came over to India were the victims of partition and so they just cannot be ignored.

Sushmita Dev in her speech criticised in strong words the BJP Election Manifesto of Assam. She too denounced in strong words BJP’s claim of ‘Corrected NRC.’ “BJPs promise of providing only 2 lakh jobs is also a misnomer. The same party once promised to give 25 lakh jobs. The figure then came down to 10 lakh. Finally, in their manifesto, they have assured to provide only 2 lakh jobs. The manifesto committee of the BJP has miserably failed to highlight Barak Valley in their agenda. BJP is now preparing to offer the people another fresh row of sufferings in the name of ‘Corrected NRC.’ ” She also criticised the BJP for not including in its manifesto the issue of reviving the Panchgram Paper Mill. Sushmita said, “The double standard of BJP is clear when in their manifesto they assured to revive the Nagaon paper mill but preferred to remain silent about Cachar Paper Mill.”

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.