Assam NRC coordinator: I am like Arjun, do not recognise any pressure from parties

Amid a political storm over the draft of National Register of Citizens published in Assam, NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela on Monday said remained firm in discharging his "constitutional duty" without recognising any pressure from "any other authority".

Names of over 4 million people in Assam were excluded from the draft NRC list, prepared following a long-drawn process to identify illegal Bangladeshis living in the state. Photo: PTI

NEW DELHI: Amid a political storm over the draft of National Register of Citizens published in Assam, NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela on Monday said he remained firm in discharging his "constitutional duty" without recognising any pressure from "any other authority". Hajela said this in an interview to PTI. Linking himself to the character of Arjun in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Hajela said he saw only the eye of the fish and remained focussed in dealing with political pressure around the historic document. "I do not recognise the pressure that comes. It is like Mahabharata's Arjun, who saw only the eye of the fish," he said. "I am doing a constitutional duty and I am doing it under the order of the Supreme Court. When I am firm that I am doing a constitutional duty, no amount of interference from any other authority makes any impact on me," Hajela added. He also dismissed the reported pressure on him by the current BJP-led Assam government as "speculation". "That's all speculation. I do not recognise any such pressure. I am focussed. When I am doing a constitutional duty, that's the only thing that I recognise," he reiterated. The senior bureaucrat said was in touch with all the stakeholders, including all the political organisations. "..I have been interacting with them and taking their feedback, and ensuring that the incorrect apprehensions are removed," he added. The NRC was as published on July 30 featuring 2.9 crore names out of the total 3.29 crore applicants in Assam. The names of 40.07 lakh applicants, however, did not find a place in the historic document. Ever since the Assam NRC final draft was released, the opposition parties started targetting the Narendra Modi government accusing it of doing "vote bank" politics ahead of 2019 general elections. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has opposed the NRC in Assam, saying it will lead to "civil war and bloodbath in the country". She said the "Indian citizens have become refugees" in their own land because of the NRC draft.