GUWAHATI: Saying that National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a tool for making the distinction between a bona fide Indian citizen and a foreigner, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday strongly pitched for a stringent immigration policy in the country and rolling out of NRC updating process in all states for tackling the menace of rampant illegal migration. He was speaking at the seminar on the topic “NRC: Defending the Borders, Securing the Culture” organised by Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini at the Constitution Club, New Delhi today.
Highlighting the need for updating the NRC, Sonowal said that large-scale migration into the state has threatened to alter the very identity of the Assamese community which is shaped by assimilation of number of tribal and other communities and their harmonious co-existence. During the 70 years between 1901 and 1971, Assam’s population increased from 32.90 lakh to 146 lakh, which is 343.77 per cent increase over a period when the population of India had increased by only about 150 per cent and this is clearly the result of illegal migration, he stated.
Asserting that infiltration cannot be allowed to go unchecked which otherwise could have disastrous consequences on social harmony and territorial integrity of the country, the chief minister reiterated that the NRC process in Assam could be a model to emulate across the country for tackling the problem of illegal migration. He also said that Draft NRC had come out through a legal process and the State and Central Governments are doing their constitutional duties under the directions of the Supreme Court to bring out a flawless NRC.
Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for according top priority to seal the Indo-Bangla international border and his efforts to fix the boundary through the land swap deal, Sonowal said that to plug vulnerable gaps along India’s borders, a ‘smart fence’ project has been rolled out in Assam on a riverine stretch with Bangladesh. The problem of illegal migration can be solved permanently once the border gets completely sealed, he commented.
“It is also imperative to update the NRC in the rest of the country to ensure that immigrants in the State do not find shelter in any other part of India. Otherwise, the ongoing exercise in Assam will be a futile one. It does not serve the larger interests of India to cleanse Assam of illegal migrants and then have them resettle in other parts of the country,” Sonowal opined.