Guwahati, March 16
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced that the process to unlock the biometrics of indigenous people frozen during the updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will commence after the election process concludes.
"Most of the Assamese people are already here, so why have their names not been entered in the NRC? Some Koch Rajbongshi community members, as well as individuals from the Das, Kalita, and Gogoi communities, have not been included in the NRC. So now we will address it. In the last two years, we were deeply involved in discussions about the CAA or not," CM Sarma said on Friday.
"I believed it was not the right time to open another front. However, I will now address these cases, and we must include genuine people and establish a fair process. I will engage with AASU and other organizations to determine a suitable process for issuing Aadhaar cards to indigenous people and those who were Indian citizens before 1971. I believe all these issues can now be resolved, and it is a better time. One chapter has ended, and we will move on to the next. People are suffering; many Assamese youths have been unable to apply for jobs. Finally, this debate is over, and we will provide justice to all," he said.
He further stated that the CAA would not disturb the socio-economic fabric of Assam.
"I was aware that the CAA rules would be implemented because once parliament passes a bill, rules must follow. Therefore, we have undertaken enough groundwork in the last two years to dispel doubts about the CAA," he said.
"If you read the Act, it states that anyone who entered after 2014 will not be considered under the CAA. Now, before 2014, the Assam NRC process had begun, and people submitted documents from 1971, 1969, and 1972, so we do not even need to consider 2014," CM Sarma said further.
"We will still consider documents from 1971, 1972, and 1973, and these people have voted in Assam numerous times. Six lakh people, predominantly Bengali Hindus, are excluded from the NRC. Of these, 3 lakh belong to the Barak Valley and 3 lakh are in the Brahmaputra Valley. Even without the CAA, they can be included in the Indian list through the Foreigners' Tribunal," he added.