India leaves 4 million off Assam citizens’ list, triggers fear

Singh also reiterated that people finding their names missing from the list could raise objections and appeals, and said that they would not be thrown into detention centers.

Satyendra Garg, a home ministry official who was at the Guwahati press conference, said there “was no question of sending anyone to detention camps based on the draft list”.

“It was important for the opposition to register its concern with regard to disenfranchising our own citizens who have been from other states or from Assam as indigenous people should be rendered refugees in our country”.

Although the government stressed that those who missed the draft NRC would not be deprived of any rights, many fear that most such married women would not succeed in enrolling their names due to the lack of documents and thereby would be declared foreigners.

“They are trying to isolate Muslims, the number that has come out is high and it is surprising”, said Ripun Bora, the state chief of the opposition Congress party that has espoused the cause of minorities.

As soon as the House reassembled post lunch, Trinamool Congress members trooped into the well shouting slogans demanding Prime Minister must reply on the issue. “They were subsequently repatriated or, let us say, the matter was addressed under the mutually agreed terms and jointly between the two countries”.

Rights groups have criticised the government move, saying deletion from citizenship lists was similar to Myanmar’s removal of rights and protections for its Rohingya community in 1982.

“I demand that all the parties should clarify their stand on the issue”.

The BJP President said that the opposition parties are talking about human rights violations. How many Bangladeshi infiltrators are there among these 40 lakh?

“India does not even have an agreement with other countries, particularly Bangladesh, on deportation”, she said. But now when the Congress is not in power it is patronising the infiltrators and talking about their human rights.

Rawat said this is a draft NRC. They were not concerned about the welfare of the citizens of Assam. He said, “What we are releasing today is a draft”.

“The NRC is being done with a political motive”. “NRC is trying to finish us off”. It is happening under the supervision of the Supreme Court. “I don’t want to name anybody, the house should function smoothly”, he added.

Rivals say that as Modi’s government faces disillusionment for failing to deliver on jobs and prosperity, it will step up religious mobilization across the country. Pointing that it is a draft NRC, the top court said that it does not form basis of any action by the authorities.

During his speech, Amit Shah said, “You did not have the courage to implement it”.

This court-monitored exercise began in September 2015 under Tarun Gogoi’s Congress government.