BJP, RSS interfering in Assam citizen registry to keep out minorities, alleges AIUDF’s Badruddin Ajmal

Badruddin Ajmal, chief of AIUDF, alleges that people from minority groups are facing harassment.

The ruling BJP and its ideological mentor, RSS, are interfering in the ongoing National Register of Citizens exercise in Assam to ensure that a large number of minorities are kept out of it, alleged Badruddin Ajmal, chief of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF).

Badruddin Ajmal said that the BJP-led state government and the RSS were interfering to make sure that a large section of minorities did not make it to the final list.(HT FILE PHOTO)

“We have full faith in Supreme Court. But over the last two months, we have been seeing that a large number of people, especially from minority groups are facing harassment,” Ajmal, who is visiting Dhubri, his parliamentary constituency, said.

The process of NRC which is being updated in Assam to ascertain the number of illegal immigrants is being monitored by the Supreme Court.

“The BJP-led state government and the RSS are interfering to make sure that a large section of minorities do not make it to the final list,” he said.

The perfume baron who divides his time between Assam, Mumbai and Dubai said poor and illiterate people are facing harassment.

“The Supreme Court said village panchayat certificates are admissible in case of married women. But even when people produce the certificate, they are asked for many more additional documents,” he said.

“Similarly, even in cases of small errors in mistake in spellings of names, which is common, they are made to run around and face exclusion,” he pointed out, adding how AIUDF, which has a large support base among the Bengali speaking community in Assam, will approach the Supreme Court.

When asked about Ajmal’s remarks, BJP leader and Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “It is being monitored by the Supreme Court.”

Earlier, Congress leader and former chief minister Tarun Gogoi had levelled similar charges on how he was apprehensive that a large number of genuine Indian citizens may not be part of the complete NRC draft which is scheduled to come out on July 30.

The comments assume significance as the Supreme Court on July 2 accepted the recommendation of Prateek Hajela, the state NRC coordinator, to exclude 1.5 lakh people mentioned in the first draft from the final.

“It is a legal process. It is being implemented as a legal process. Whosoever is eligible will be included,” Hajela had said.