A delegation of Opposition parties met President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday and urged him to ensure that not a single Indian is left out of Assam’s National Register of Citizens, reported ANI. The parties also accused the National Democratic Alliance government of undermining the country’s democratic and secular values.
Congress leader Anand Sharma, Sudip Bandyopadhyay of the Trinamool Congress, Mohammad Salim of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Deve Gowda, YS Chowdhary of the Telegu Desam Party, and the Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjay Singh were among the delegation’s members.
On July 30, the Assam government published the final draft of the register, which excluded more than 40 lakh of 3.29 crore applicants from the list. Several parties have protested against the publication of the register in Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon Session.
The memorandum alleged that people left out of the register had been residents of Assam for a long time. The Opposition accused the Centre of spreading misinformation and attempting to damage the Constitution, Parliament, the judiciary, and the press. “As the custodian of these great institutions, we appeal and urge upon you to ensure that not a single Indian citizen is excluded from the NRC list in Assam,” it added.
A day after the document was published, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to not take coercive action against those not in the list. The court reiterated that the document was only a draft.
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