New Delhi
Assam Chief Minster Sarbananda Sonowal met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday to apprise him of the ongoing work on updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the State ahead of the Supreme Court-set deadline of December 31.
The NRC is supposed to help the State government identify illegal Bangladeshi migrants who allegedly entered the State after March 25, 1971, the cut off date for migrant settlers to be considered citizens.
However, civil society activists and minority organisations have pointed out that the process of citizenship verification is not flawless.
On the other hand CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury urged the Assam government to strictly adhere to the Supreme Court guidelines to update the NRC and warned against dividing people for political mileage, while he was addressing a seminar in Delhi on the current political situation and the question of citizenship in Assam.
“As many as 27 lakh women, most of them married, suddenly begin to feel insecure. There appears to be some uncertainty as whether they are to be regarded as suspect aliens or citizens whose citizenships claims are yet to be established,” said Prof Gohain.
The High Court order has been challenged in the Supreme Court and the top court is expected to give its verdict by November 22.
