The Opposition Congress seems to be on the horns of dilemma over the issue of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). While some of its leaders led by former chief minister Tarun Gogoi and his son MP Gaurav Gogoi seek to claim credit for the exercise, there are others who feel such a support to the exercise would rob them of their traditional vote bank — Bengali Muslims.
If Gogoi, who represents Kaliabor constituency in Assam in Lok Sabha, thanked all the government employees who worked hard to prepare the NRC final draft, in Delhi some of the Congress leaders joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) demanding complete withdrawal of the NRC, alleging Indian citizens have also been left out of the final draft. In the Rajya Sabha, however, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad treaded a fine balance, saying it was a humanitarian issue and not a matter of any particular caste, religion or region. "We don't want any person to be driven out of the country. This is not only about 40 lakh people, if you consider their children, families, it comes to 1-1.5 crore people," Azad claimed, adding the issue may have international ramifications, especially India's relation with 'close friend' Bangladesh.
In a Facebook post, Rahul Gandhi also questioned the exercise. "The National Register of Citizens was initiated by the UPA under Manmohan Singh to fulfil the commitment made in the Assam Accord of 1985. However, the manner in which this exercise has been undertaken by the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state of Assam leaves much to be desired." The Congress president said reports were pouring in from all corners of Assam of Indian citizens finding their names missing in the draft NRC. He said this was creating massive insecurity in the state. "Clearly, after spending close to Rs 1,200 crore, the execution of this critical and highly sensitive exercise has been tardy," he said asking the government to move swiftly in order to resolve the crisis.
BJP president Amit Shah also sought to remind the Congress that it was former PM Rajiv Gandhi who had committed in the Assam Accord of 1985. But the successive Congress government then did not have the courage to implement it. According to statistics, there are about 42 lakh indigenous Muslims in Assam, but 60-70 lakh Bengali Muslims, who matter in 30 to 33 assembly segments.
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