Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress party which has been opposing the NRC issue saying that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had accepted National Registrar of Citizens (NRC) in Assam Accord. It's not a matter of vote bank for us but an issue of national security.
The Prime Minister was replying to the motion of thanks to the President's address in Rajya Sabha where he mocked the Congress party of taking credit for everything.
PM Modi said, "You take credit for everything, will you not take credit for NRC? Rajiv Gandhi had accepted NRC in the Assam accord. Then Supreme Court had to intervene. Also, SC directed us so we have implemented it. So why are you not taking credit for this?"
Modi said that since Congress like to take credit for everything, so why not NRC, which was accepted by Rajiv Gandhi in the Assam accord following which the Supreme Court had to intervene.
NRC issue gained widespread attention during the Lok Sabha election 2019.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee extensively criticised the Central government and said that she will not allow the NRC to be implemented in Bengal.
However, BJP national president Amit Shah and several other BJP leader said that NRC issue was related to the national security.
On Wednesday, over one lakh people were excluded from the draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam after they were found ineligible, adding to the 40 lakh names left out of the list published on July 30 last year.
According to a statement issued by the state coordinator of NRC, 1,02,462 persons were declared ineligible during the process of verification carried out by the Local Registrars of Citizens Registration (LRCRs).
The list is being updated for the first time since 1951 to identify illegal migration into Assam. The NRC is being updated under the monitoring of the Supreme Court and the final list is scheduled to be released on July 31.
(With inputs from PTI)
