'No citizen of India will have to leave country', PM Modi on Assam NRC row

PM Modi said that the roots of the NRC go back three decades, when the then PM Rajiv Gandhi had to bow to public pressure and sign the Assam Accord.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photo: PIB

New Delhi: Speaking on the controversial Assam NRC issue in a detailed interview to ANI, PM ensured that no Indian citizen will have to leave the country. When asked to comment on West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s recent statement on NRC that it could lead to ‘civil war’ PM said that those who have lost faith in themselves, fear loss of popular support and lack faith in our Institutions can use words like ‘civil war’, ‘blood bath’ and ‘Desh Ke Tukde Tukde.’ ‘Evidently, they are disconnected from the pulse of the nation. As far as Mamata ji’s stand is concerned, she should remember what she said on the floor of the Parliament in 2005. Was that Mamata ji correct or is this Mamata ji correct’, he said. PM assured that not a single citizen of India will have to leave the country. He was quoted by the agency saying: “I want to assure the people that no citizen of India will have to leave the country. As per the due process, all possible opportunities will be given to get their concerns addressed. The NRC was a promise of ours, which we are fulfilling under the guidance of the Honourable Supreme Court. It is not about politics but about people.” He slammed Congress for playing politics over the issue. He said that the roots of the NRC go back three decades, when the then PM Rajiv Gandhi had to bow to public pressure and sign the Assam Accord. Pm alleged that Since then Assam voted Congress several times but the party did nothing about it and kept misleading the people. Congress knew a problem exists but allowed it to fester for decades because they were guided by vote bank politics. The exercise to identify genuine Indian nationals living in Assam had excluded over 40 lakh people from the final draft list, triggering a political slugfest with the opposition alleging that it was the BJP's "gameplan" to divide the people for electoral gains. The issue had rocked both houses of parliament. Bengal CM Mamata Bnerjee said NRC exercise in Assam was done with a "political motive" to divide people and it would lead to "bloodbath" and a "civil war" in the country.