By TCN News,
Guwahati: The government of Assam has decided to temporarily put on hold, the updating of National Registration of Citizens (NRC) 1951. The state government has also admitted to some “minor mistakes” in the pilot project currently going on in Barpeta and Chaygaon Revenue Circles.
All Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU) along with All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), have been raising the issue of widespread irregularities and discrepancies in the updating process. They had also demanded from the government to halt the updating work.
Now the updating work will be resumed after the alleged mistakes and irregularities are fixed. According to Government spokesman Himanta Biswa Sarma, the government will come up with a form much simpler for the common man to fill up. In order to resolve all the differences, before going ahead with the updating work the government will also call an all party meet,.
The decision of Tarun Gogoi government has come particularly after 7 AAMSU activists got killed and hundreds injured, in an open firing by the police on peaceful AAMSU demonstrators, in Barpeta district on July 21, 2010. On that day AAMSU had organized a big demonstration, demanding from the government to stop the updating of NRC 1951.
AAMSU has welcomed the move. On the other hand All Assam Student Union (AASU) has termed this move by the Congress government as a part of ‘vote bank’ politics. The group is famous for its militant stand on the issue of illegal Bangladeshis in the state. It has been raising the pitch by organizing anti Bangladeshi demonstrations and burning the effigies of Tarun Gogoi.
AIUDF has, although appreciated the move as ‘necessary’ step, but has also demanded from the government to resume the NRC updating immediately after the procedural irregularities are fixed.
Talking to TwoCircles.net, Dr. Baharul Islam, general secretary, AIUDF, pointed out that “AIUDF wants NRC 1951 to be updated in order to fix the problem of illegal Bangladeshis for once and all.”
He also accused the Congress government of playing politics on the issue of NRC updating work.
“I think that Congress government is not serious about resolving the problem of illegal migration in the state. It wants the sword of illegal Bangladeshi to hang on the head of every genuine Muslim citizen of the state,” he added.
It is important to mention here that for the past 25 years, the issue of illegal Bangladeshis has been a major poll issue and political parties like the BJP, AIUDF, and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) oppose it.
But the stand of the Congress on the issue of illegal Bangladeshis has been very dubious. A major chunk of its support comes from Bengali speaking population, particularly Muslims. Congress has at present 14 MLAs from the Bengali speaking areas which in total constitute around 40 assembly seats in the state assembly.
Quite stereotypically it associates the issue with the minorities in the state. With the assembly elections coming in six months, the Congress government doesn’t want to be seen as anti-Muslim. But simultaneously it doesn’t want to loose the votes of indigenous Assami population. So the party keeps its stand on the issue very ambiguous, and in order to suit its purpose changes from time to time.
Besides there is a strong view in the state civil society that the political parties of the sate want the issue to remain alive, in order to in cash it in elections.