New Delhi: After the publication of final National Register of Citizen (NRC) list in Assam, controversies involving this mammoth exercise was spilled across the country, with the ruling and opposition parties targeting each other over it.
"NRC cannot bring any result. When it first started in Assam, there was an expectation that this will identify the illegal Bangladeshis. Now, even the government has come on record that a strong measure is required to identify the illegal foreigners," CPM leader and former MP Hannan Mollah told ETV Bharat.
He said NRC was used by the BJP to target the minority community.
"But in reality, the result was opposite," said Mollah.
In India, people of a particular state go to other states 'does that mean they are foreigners,' questioned Mollah.
However, the BJP ruled states including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand among others have supported the NRC process and called it is a 'good practice'.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat opined to carry a similar NRC process in their respective states as well.
The issue was, however, adopted by the ruling Aam Admi Party (AAP) in New Delhi to target the saffron party.
"If we take out NRC, Manoj Tiwari would be the first person who would be deported from Delhi," said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. His comment had immediately generated sharp reactions from BJP activists who came on the street protesting Kejriwal's statement.
Political and Strategic Affairs expert, Subimal Bhattacharjee said that the Centre must look into the matter seriously.
"The National Population Register (NPR) is in the process of revision and it's the right step," said Bhattacharjee.
"NRC in Assam was carried with a purpose but it was defeated over inclusion and exclusion issues of citizens. A disputed NRC is in the picture with a number of illegal migrants living across India," said Bhattacharjee.
Referring to political parties' stand on the NRC issue, Bhattacharjee said, "When the citizenship verification process starts, both of them (ruling and opposition parties) would have to extend their cooperation.
Assam is the only state where the NRC process was implemented with an aim 'to detect illegal foreigners'.
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