July 31, 2018
Trinamool raises NRC issue in Parliament
Trinamool Congress raised the issue of the removal of 40,07,707 names from the final version of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) published by the Assam State Government on July 30, 2018.
The deletion of the more than 40 lakh names from the list of citizens has caused a furore all over the country.
Including yesterday and today, four Members of Parliament (MP) from Trinamool spoke for revisiting this issue with urgency.
Yesterday, Derek O’Brien raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha under Rule 267, saying that it was a question of “human rights” and “a humanitarian issue”; in fact, it “is a national issue” as the Government of India needs to “look after Indian citizens”. He went on to say that “this is not just an issue concerning Assam”. He also said that the “Home Minister had not consulted the State Government (of Assam)” regarding the publication of the list. However, the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha refused to admit the issue, and the House was adjourned.
Yesterday too, in the Lok Sabha, Sudip Bandyopadhyay raised the issue, moving an Adjournment Motion, which was not admitted. He said, “Where will these 40 lakh people go? It is inhuman. It is a mental torture” and that “justice should not be denied to these people at any cost”. He proposed a “fresh revision” of the list as a “top priority”, and if necessary, even an “amendment must be moved so that these people may get shelter.”
Today too the party raised this urgent issue in Parliament. In the Rajya Sabha, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy spoke on the issue. He said (in Bengali) that the NRC has “made 40 lakh people nation-less at one stroke.” “I do not know of any other place on earth where such a large number of people have been rendered nation-less in this manner.”
He raised two crucial points regarding this issue. Firstly, “on December 31, 2017, six months ago, as per Government data, 2.4 lakh people were classified as D-voters (Doubtful Voter)”. So how did “the number become 40 lakh in just six months?” He said, as per the Supreme Court order, “citizens who are originally inhabitants/residents of the State of Assam and those who are not are at par for inclusion in the National Register of Citizens (NRC)”. This order “is being trampled upon” by the Government of India.
The second crucial point he raised was that “Article 19 is being violated” and “even Articles 10 and 11, concerning citizenship”.
In the Lok Sabha today, Saugata Roy raised the issue. He mentioned the fact that the party “protested against it” and that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also “said that this is a part of the ‘divide and rule’ policy of Centre.”
