They also discussed the proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill 2014 (File Photo)
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi today for discussions on the ongoing update of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill-2014. Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma and BJP president Amit Shah were also present.
According to official sources, Mr Sonowal told the Home Minister that post-draft publication work on the register was being taken up in accordance with Supreme Court directions. Work on filing claims for the inclusion of names and objections against the addition of doubtful people -- the deadline for which is December 15 -- is also going on, he reported.
Around 40 lakh people in Assam have been left out of the draft list of citizens released in July, and face deportation if they cannot prove their citizenship.
Standard operating procedures issued by the Supreme Court for guiding the process related to claims and objections are being implemented, Mr Sonowal said, adding that a number of exercises have also been initiated to generate awareness among the public.
The chief minister also informed Mr Singh about his appeal to various socio-political organisations, asking them to take proactive steps towards ensuring that doubtful names in the NRC's draft publication are removed. Re-verification of the names cannot happen if objections are not filed, he added.
The state's National Register of Citizens or NRC has been updated for the first time since 1951 to account for illegal migration from neighbouring Bangladesh.
The three also discussed the proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill 2014, which is being vehemently opposed in Assam. With the bill expected to be tabled in the coming session of Parliament, the BJP will face a tough challenge in the Assam panchayat elections next month.