Opposition takes on government over NRC and Rohingya issue in LS; 'states have right to deport illegal migrants' says HM Rajnath

TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP-led central government of resorting to "vote-bank politics" with regard to the NRC and said "Indian citizens have become refugees" in their own land.

New Delhi: The second draft list for National Register for Citizen’s (NRC) was published on Monday. Over 40 lakh people in Assam have been left out from the NRC, which is being prepared to identify illegal migrants in Assam. NRC’s first draft was prepared on January 1, which had the names of 1.9 crore people. In the second draft, the names from first draft were also removed. The new draft has the names, pictures and addresses of all the nationals. Through this draft, information on people who have been staying illegally in the state will be out. March 24, 1971 has been chosen as the deciding factor for finding the citizens of Assam, which means everyone who has been staying before this date has been considered to be the citizen of India. Rohingya issue rocks parliament: The matter was raised in Lok Sabha on Tuesday by Sena MP Arvind Ganpat Sawant; who rose the issue of Rohingya in the house; responding to Sena MP, Minister of State (Home affairs) Kiren Rijiju said that "Rohingyas are illegal migrants" and government is not responsible to cater to them. Even Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke on the Rohingya issue and said that an advisory has been issued to states to monitor Rohingya movement and have been asked to send information on the population of Rohingya in their state to central govenrment, post which the government will speak to Myanmar government and ensure their deportation. "Border Security Force and Assam Rifles are deployed to stop further infiltration of Rohingyas. Have issued advisory to states to monitor those who have already come and keep them at one place and not let them spread. States also have right to deport them". Don't politicise the issue: Ghulam Nabi Azad  Senior Congress MP also spoke on the NRC issue in upper house of the parliament on Tuesday and said, ''Genuine Indians should not be sent out of the country. NRC should not be politicised and used as vote bank. It is a human rights issue, not a Hindu-Muslim issue". Mamata questions government over NRC:  TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP-led central government of resorting to "vote-bank politics" with regard to the NRC and said "Indian citizens have become refugees" in their own land. The matter also echoed in Parliament on Monday where Home Minister Rajnath Singh asserted the Centre has no role in the preparation of the draft list and it was done on the directives of the Supreme Court. If voted to power, NRC will also be published in West Bengal: BJP West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Monday said the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be published, on the lines of the one in Assam, if the saffron party was voted to power in the state. Supporting the publication of the complete draft of the NRC in Assam, he said some politicians were "shedding crocodile tears" as they were wary that their "vote-bank" politics would come to an end.