India is in close touch with Bangladesh on citizens’ registry issue: MEA

External affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India has repeatedly assured the Bangladesh government that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a draft list.

The external affairs ministry on Thursday said it was in close contact with Bangladesh on the issue of the draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, aimed at identifying illegal immigrants in the state, and assured that NRC would not affect India’s bilateral ties with that country.

People check their names on the final draft of the state's National Register of Citizens after it was released, at a NRC Seva Kendra, Hatigaon in Guwahati. (PTI File Photo)

The ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India has repeatedly assured Bangladesh government that (NRC) was just a draft prepared at the behest of the Supreme Court and that the process of identifying illegal immigrants is still underway.

“We have been in close touch with Bangladesh both prior to and following the issuance of the draft NRC,” the spokesperson told reporters.

According to him, the Bangladesh government has taken the view that the ongoing process is an internal matter of India.

“We do not apprehend any impact on bilateral ties , which remains excellent,” Kumar said.

The draft NRC, released last week, excluded over 40 lakh people in Assam. The NRC is an outcome of nearly a six-year-long agitation by All Assam Students Union, demanding deportation of illegal Bangladeshi’s from the state.