Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said on Friday that those whose names do not appear in Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) should be deported because India is not a ‘dharmashala’ (guest house).
“Is our country a dharamshala that people from outside will keep on entering here? They must be deported and people have been marked for it,” Singh was quoted as saying by ANI.
“It is result of 8 year-long protest by Assamese youth. Either the 40 lakh people should prove their identity or go back,” the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said referring to those whose names did not appear in the final draft of the NRC, which has now taken a political colour.
Singh’s remarks came on the day when Home Minister Rajnath Singh reiterated that the process of preparing the list has been “fair and transparent” and reassured that there will be no discrimination or unnecessary harassment when NRC is updated.
Condemning attempts by a “few” to create an atmosphere of fear based on rumours and propaganda on the social media and internationalise the issue, the Home Minister said in the Rajya Sabha that the matter pertained to national security.
“I am reiterating that it is not the final NRC. It is just a draft NRC. Adequate opportunity will be provided to everyone for making claims and raising objections. Despite this, if anybody’s name remains out of the list, he can approach the Foreigners Tribunal,” Singh said.
But Trinamool Congress, the ruling party in West Bengal which has been at the forefront of the opposition to the NRC, said on Friday that it would observe “black day” on 4 and 5 August in protest against the “manhandling” and harassment” of a party delegation at Assam airport on Thursday.
Members of the delegation, who returned to Kolkata on Friday morning, claimed they were treated like “infiltrators”.
The party delegation comprising six MPs, one West Bengal minister and one MLA was confined to a room at the Kumbhirgram airport in Silchar on Thursday on the ground that prohibitory orders under Section 144 were in force in Cachar district in Assam.
“We condemn the incident. Our delegation had gone to meet the common people. But they were not only detained in the airport but also heckled and harassed. We will observe black day during Saturday and Sunday across districts and blocks,” party’s Secretary General Partha Chatterjee said.