SDPI concerned over Assam NRC leaving out nearly 2 million people

 nearly 2 million people

New Delhi 2nd sep 2019: The Social Democratic Party of India, (SDPI), has described the exclusion of nearly two million people not justifiable and that procedural lapse has left many people out of the list. If the procedural lapses continue in the ongoing process, injustice will continue, the party said.

Abdul Majeed, the National General Secretary of SDPI, in a statement said that the government has assured that those who have been left out from the final list will be given opportunity to prove their citizenship in Foreign Tribunals and higher courts and will not be treated as foreigners. However, there is no clarity regarding their present status, whether they will have their civil rights until their cases are finally decided.

Majeed said that human rights activists fear that the people who do not find their names in the list might face possible jail time or deportation, and their voting and other civil rights will be snatched away. He pointed out interestingly the BJP is also unhappy with the publication of final NRC list as many Hindus have been left out. Thus, the BJP game plan of targeting Muslims alone has failed under its very nose when it had state and central governments at its disposal.

He wondered how the people who were supposedly crying foul about infiltrators and foreigners turned out to be foreigners themselves. This is the worst travesty of fate. He said that the people who try to migrate are those who want to live by working hard. Also these alleged infiltrators lived as Indians this long. A practical and humanitarian approach will be to grant them citizenship and prevent people crossing border in future. Majeed reminded that large number of Indians crossed to and lived in many countries. Many are still crossing US borders illegally every year. 

Majeed urged to give citizenships to immigrants based on certain criteria, irrespective of religion. Finally, the innocents and very poor are going to suffer even if they are legitimate sons of the soil.  Meanwhile, the Citizenship Amendment Bill, intended to make it easier only for non-Muslim immigrants from neighbouring states such as Pakistan and Bangladesh to become Indian nationals, has been termed as “communal” and “discriminatory” by social activists as well as Opposition parties.