Cong's commitment to oust ‘foreigners’

The Congress on Saturday asserted its full commitment to Assam's National Register of Citizens (NRC) to oust the foreigners from the state under the 1985 accord of then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by identifying the illegal immigrants, accusing the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party using it to divide the society to divert the people's attention from the Modi government's colossal failure on all fronts.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) discussed the controversy raging over NRC at its meeting here and resolved that the Congress should help the Indian citizens left out in the final draft to prove their identity as Indians as many among 40 lakh left out were the indigenous Assamese. Hindu Bengalis and the residents from various Indian states. It said all those left out must get opportunity to prove their identity as the Indians.

Congress chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala asked BJP President Amit Shah not to falsely credit the Modi govt for the NRC that was initiated and completed 80% by the Congress government of Tarun Gogoi. Decrying Shah calling all 40 lakh left out in the register as infiltrators, Surjewala challenged him to let the government withdraw the citizenship (amendment) bill before Parliament that seeks to give nationality to the foreigners while pretending to oppose the foreigners in Assam.

He said the Congress commitment to throw out the foreigners illegally living in Assam could be seen from as

many as 82,728 persons deported between 2005 and 2013 during the Congress rule at the Centre and in the state as against just 1822 deported in the last four years. Surjewala said he was quoting the figures from the government's own reply to a question in Parliament.