Former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi says 'Purpose of NRC failed'

Coming down heavily on the "faulty" implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, the state's former chief minister Tarun Gogoi claimed that the very purpose of NRC had failed.

"40 Lakh people...and out of 40 lakh, a vast majority are Indian. The very purpose for which we took the initiative of NRC has failed," he said at an interaction here on Sunday.

Talking about the concept of NRC, Gogoi explained "A pilot project was started in 2010, there was huge resentment. So we stopped. Then I formed a cabinet committee which discussed with all parties to reach a consensus and modality. Then we sent it to the Registrar General of India, who also accepted our modalities, more or less."

The former Assam Chief Minister further claimed that neither the Home Minister nor Registrar General of India was clear on the concept, thus leading to its improper implementation.

"Rajnath Singh, even Registrar General of India, don't have a clear picture. That's why there's all confusion. That's why they have not been able to implement it properly. This modality (NRC Assam) has been prepared accordingly but the implementation part is wrong. They didn't implement it properly. Since the implementation was wrong, a huge number of people was left out in initial stages," he added.

The NRC draft for Assam features the names, addresses, and photographs of all Indian citizens residing in the state of Assam before March 25, 1971.

The second draft of the NRC was released on July 30, and included names of 2.89 crore people, out of 3.29 crore applicants in Assam, and left out names of nearly 40 lakh people, giving rise to agitation and resentment among those excluded.

(ANI)