The Assam citizenship list is only a draft and no action would be taken on its basis, the Supreme Court said today, assuring that fair procedure will be used to settle all claims and objections. The court has asked the government to submit possible procedures for examining claims and counter claims, adding that it will finalise the procedures during the next hearing on August 16.
The draft list of citizens, which leaves out 40 lakh people, has triggered huge protests inside parliament and out. Despite home minister Rajnath Singh's assurance that the list is a draft and not final, people in Assam are apprehensive of action. The opposition parties have accused the government of targetting Muslims, using illegal migrants as a pretext.
The draft list will be made available to public on August 7 and those not on it can file claims and objections from August 30 to September 28, the top court said today.
The National Register of Citizens is being compiled for the first time since 1951 - the procedure is being supervised by the top court. The process was started in 2005 under then UPA government. It got a major push after the BJP, which had illegal immigration from Bangladesh as one of its poll planks, came to power.
Today, in answer to opposition accusations of "divide and rule" BJP chief Amit Shah hit out, saying even the Congress had similar plans for Assam but did not have the "courage" to see it through.
The National Register of Citizens, he said, was in the spirit of the 1985 Assam Accord which sought to identify illegal migrants into Assam and prepare a list of Indian citizens. It was former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who signed the Assam Accord, Mr Shah said. "This was the Congress PM's initiative. He (Rajiv Gandhi) did not have the courage. We have courage and we are doing it... "You want to save illegal Bangladeshis".
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