How long will 19 lakh people live with uncertainty, anxiety? Chidambaram questions Centre over NRC

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, who is currently lodged at Tihar jail here, on Monday raised questions over the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam and asked for how long 19 lakh people left out from the list will live with uncertainty and anxiety.

"If NRC is a 'legal process', how will the legal process deal with the 19 lakh persons who have been declared non-citizens?" Chidambaram's family tweeted on his behalf.

"If Bangladesh has been assured that the NRC process will not affect Bangladesh, how will the Indian state deal with the 19 lakh persons? How long will these 19 lakh persons live with uncertainty, anxiety and denial of civic and human rights? As we celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's humanism, we are obliged to answer these questions," the Congress leader said.

Chidambaram is currently lodged in Tihar Jail under judicial custody in the INX Media case.

On Saturday, Bangladesh had raised the issue of the NRC during the discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina.

According to sources, the India side, however, pointed out that it is an ongoing process .

The final list of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam was published on August 31, excluding over 19 lakh people.