Guwahati: Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia on Thursday said his party has already rejected the National Register of Citizens (NRC) updated in 2019, asserting that the exercise failed to achieve its core objective. He expressed hope that a more “purposeful and effective” NRC will be carried out in the future. Speaking to reporters, Saikia said the primary aim of updating the NRC was to identify illegal Bangladeshi immigrants living in Assam and remove their names from the electoral rolls. However, according to him, that objective was not fulfilled.“The NRC was conducted under the supervision of the Supreme Court, but the main expectation of the people was to detect illegal Bangladeshis residing in Assam and remove them from the voter list. That purpose was not served. Therefore, we have rejected the NRC prepared in 2019,” Saikia said.He added that the BJP has already submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court seeking reverification of 75 per cent of the NRC data in districts along the Indo–Bangladesh border.
“We hope a better and more purposeful NRC will be updated in the coming days,” he said.
The BJP leader also targeted the Congress over its election slogan “Natun Bor Asom” (New Greater Assam), alleging that it hides a deeper political agenda.“There is a big conspiracy behind this slogan. Assam has an indigenous population that includes both Hindus and Muslims. But the Congress is trying to play politics with both communities only for electoral gains,” Saikia alleged.According to him, the party is more focused on consolidating minority votes rather than protecting the interests of indigenous communities.“They have no real concern for the indigenous people. Their only aim is to secure votes and remain in power,” he said.Saikia went on to claim that the slogan is an attempt to divide the state. “This is nothing but another effort to create divisions in Assam, something they have been doing since Independence,” he remarked.Drawing from history, Saikia said Assam and the Northeast have always been strategically sensitive regions.“Before Independence, there were attempts to merge this region with East Pakistan under the grouping plan. Leaders like Gopinath Bordoloi strongly opposed it and protected the interests of Assam,” he said.He also criticised what he described as the absence of decisive governance in earlier decades, saying it eventually led to the complicated and controversial NRC process.Earlier in the day, addressing a press conference at Vajpayee Bhavan in Guwahati, Saikia said the BJP has stood with the people of Assam since the days of the historic Assam Movement.He recalled that during the 1983 Assembly elections, which were widely opposed during the agitation against illegal immigration, the BJP had boycotted the polls in solidarity with the sentiments of the Assamese people.In contrast, he alleged that Left parties and other “pseudo-secular forces” had opposed the Assam Movement and participated in those elections.Saikia also referred to the Supreme Court’s judgment striking down the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, describing it as a law that had made the detection of illegal migrants extremely difficult.The BJP leader further alleged that the Congress indirectly helped the rise of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) led by Badruddin Ajmal, which later gained influence in minority-dominated areas of the state.He claimed that, except for a brief period after 1985, Assam remained under Congress rule until 2016, and during that time, illegal immigration was allowed to grow due to “vote-bank politics”. Also Watch:
Saikia also expressed concern that many young people in Assam are unaware of these historical developments.“It is important to bring these facts back into public discussion so that the younger generation understands what happened in the past,” he said.Taking another swipe at the Congress slogan “Natun Bor Asom”, Saikia alleged that during its tenure, large tracts of government land had been occupied illegally.He said the eviction drive launched by the present government since 2016 has reclaimed around 1.5 lakh bighas of government land from encroachment.He also pointed to the development of the Srimanta Sankardeva Abirbhav Kshetra at Batadrava, built at a cost of ₹217 crore, as an example of how reclaimed land has been used for cultural and religious purposes.Saikia concluded by saying that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJP government will continue working to safeguard the identity, heritage and rights of the indigenous people of Assam.