Contradictory voices in Assam Cong on NRC; Tarun Gogoi slams it as 'waste paper', party MP says 'historic' document

Differences seem to have cropped up in the Congress' Assam unit over the NRC, with former chief minister Tarun Gogoi describing it a "waste paper" and a Lok Sabha MP terming it a "historic scientific document".

The final National Register of Citizens (NRC) was published on Saturday and, according to it, out of the total 3.3 crore applicants, 3.11 crore figured in the list and names of about19 lakh people were excluded.

"I have been saying for long that the NRC would be a waste paper. (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi had said Tarun Gogoi rolled out a red carpet for the foreigners.

"But, instead of throwing out the illegal immigrants, he (Modi) could not prepare the NRC properly. We are with all Indians who were excluded from the NRC," Gogoi said in a tweet in Assamese.

Congress MP from Barpeta, Abdul Khaleque, however, described the NRC, which validates bona fide Indian citizens of Assam, as a "milestone" and a "historic scientific document".

"Although lots of names of Indian Citizens drops from final NRC, but it's a historic scientific document prepared by Government of Assam and Government of India under the supervision of Hon'ble Supreme Court of India. No doubt, it's milestone (sic)," Khaleque tweeted.

The former chief minister's son and Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi said it was due to the "carelessness" of state authorities that a genuine Indian citizen excluded from the NRC will now have to go to court.

"In Assam, BJP says that excluded persons need not panic because they can approach a tribunal court. Question is why should a genuine Indian need to go to court to prove his or her citizenship, when it's clearly due to the carelessness of the state authorities," he tweeted.