NRC draft: No action against those left out, reiterates Rajnath

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday categorically reiterated that no coercive action would be taken against anyone whose names are not mentioned in Assam's National Register of Citizens (NRC) final draft.

The draft, which was released on July 30, left out nearly 40 lakh people in Assam, incorporating names of 2.89 crore people out of 3.29 crore applicants.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Rajnath condemned the attempts to create an atmosphere of fear among people. He said "I am saying this again, that no coercive action will be taken against anyone in any situation. Attempts to create an atmosphere of fear are condemnable. The whole procedure of Assam NRC was undertaken under supervision of Supreme Court".

While dubbing the NRC as a 'totally fair process', Singh further assured that everyone would get a chance to appeal in the matter.

"I would like to repeat that it's a draft and not final, everyone will get chance to appeal. It's a totally fair process. Unwarranted accusations are unfortunate. Procedure of NRC started in 1985 through the Assam accord when the late Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister. The decision to update was taken by Dr Manmohan Singh in 2005," Singh noted.

Following the release of the list, the Opposition has been at loggerheads with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre over the issue.

The first draft was published on December 31, 2017, and names of 1.9 crore of the 3.29 crore applicants were incorporated. The NRC draft features the names, addresses, and photographs of all Indian citizens, who have been residing in the northeastern state before March 25, 1971.