BJP MP seeks NRC across country; uproar in House

New Delhi: The NRC issue continued to rock Parliament on Thursday as a BJP member in the Lok Sabha demanded that a National Register of Citizens (NRC), similar to the one in Assam, be prepared for the whole country.

The remarks made by BJP MP from Jharkhand Nishikant Dubey led to protests from Opposition benches. The comments were made when the issue of alleged exclusion of names of lakhs of people in the draft NRC list in Assam released earlier this week was raised in the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour.

Mr Dubey claimed that the census exercise did not happen in many places, including the North East and Jammu and Kashmir and a NRC-type drill was badly needed across the country.

The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned for the day following Opposition uproar over NRC issue.

The issue was first raised by Trinamul Congress MPs who claimed that a delegation of their MPs was detained at Silchar airport in Assam and prevented from joining a campaign to protest against the NRC.

The TMC said it is planning to move a privilege motion in Lok Sabha on Friday against the detention of its MPs in Assam.

The Trinamul Congress delegation, consisting six MPs, one MLA and one minister from West Bengal, left for Silchar to interact with people left out of the final draft of the NRC published on Monday.

The issue of detention of the TMC members was first raised in the Lok Sabha by party leader Saugata Roy, who said, “I will move a privilege motion against the Assam government.”

TMC national spokesperson Derek O’Brien said, “The ‘super emergency’ is on… that’s what happened today in Silchar.”

The delegation was stopped even though the members decided to go and meet the people left out of NRC in groups of two. They were stopped and “beaten up,” he alleged.

West Bengal chief minister and TMC chief Mfamata Banerjee reacted angrily and said, “I think this is beginning of the end. They are frustrated, they are political tensed and depressed. And that’s why they are showing muscle power.”

Justifying the action against TMC leaders at the airport, BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha said, “If they try to create unrest in Assam, the administration will take action. They should be forced out of the state.”