Why NRC is Necessary to curb Illegal Migrants

statesman_11.08.18Preparation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, the final draft of which was released on 30 July 2018, was not a suo motu exercise undertaken by the Government of India. Its origins date back to 1951 when it was first prepared following the demand of most of the political organisations in the state. It has since been updated at the insistence of the Supreme Court. There have been state-wide agitations too by bonafide citizens against loss of jobs and demographic changes caused by illegal immigration.

The Assam Accord signed in 1985 by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and the organisations that had been demanding identification and deportation of illegal immigrants, helped further strengthen its contextual relevance. The document, therefore, has a valid political background even as the need for the resolution of the issue of illegal immigration, which has snowballed over the years, has been increasingly felt by bonafide citizens of the state.

Illegal immigration is not merely a state’s problem but a serious issue for the entire nation. It is a specter that has been haunting us ever since we got Independence. India’s porous borders with Bangladesh have made it possible for migrants from that country to infiltrate bordering states like West Bengal and Assam.

Indian states that share international borders with Bangladesh are seriously hamstrung in pushing the infiltrators back owing to the hostile ground conditions, what with India being the fifth longest land-border-sharing country (4,096 kms) in the world. Security agencies face operational problems in enforcing zero infiltration at the best of times due to the harsh border terrain. An estimated 20 million illegal immigrants from Bangladesh are believed to be living in India although the actual figure could be much higher. In addition, about 300,000 people are infiltrating into the country every year. India has thus become a safe haven for illegal immigrants continually pouring in from Bangladesh.

The infiltrators find neither religion nor culture nor language a problem in the India owing to the commonalities they share with the people of these states. They manage to get fake or even bonafide documents like Aadhaar, PAN and Voters Card in support of their claim for citizenship for a price, by producing fake supporting documents, courtesy corrupt officials, fake operators or obliging state governments that see in them a vote bank. Once they get a toehold in India and arm themselves with identification documents, they fan out not only to Assam but practically all over India where they are hired by unscrupulous employers as cheap labour without verification of their citizenship status and antecedents.

The presence of illegal immigrants vitiates the job market as well as the law and order situation. It also causes a drain on the state’s resources and leads to bitterness and unrest among local people. Unethical state governments pander to the infiltrators and help them settle down and receive state support, much to the displeasure of the bonafide citizens who end up losing out on jobs, land, welfare schemes, etc. This leads to the electoral results in these states not reflecting the true will of bonafide citizens.

What is more, the infiltration results in demographic changes with far-reaching consequences – religious, social and political. It is but natural that local community which adopts small family norms in self-interest as well as for the promotion of the nation’s developmental agenda, feel sore when they find in their midst illegal immigrants, with practically no self-restraint on this account, hogging full benefits of welfare measures and other forms of social support extended by the state, resulting in redundant and wasteful expenditure.

This state of affairs is far from conducive to the social harmony and could have disastrous consequences on the territorial integrity of the country if allowed unchecked. Furthermore, the possibility of this segment of the population becoming a breeding ground for terrorists and anti-nationals cannot be ruled out.

The final draft of the NRC does not include names of 40,07,077 people. This has sent ripples among the Assamese population who have, however, maintained peace and tranquility following assurances from the government that there is no need to panic; there will be no punitive action against those who are left out and the status quo will be maintained on their status and rights, till finalization of the NRC due on 31 December 2018. As regards their voting rights, the Election Commission is to take a call.

The Opposition political parties have, however, predictably reacted with harsh criticism and condemnation. While Congress President Rahul Gandhi has called the NRC exercise tardy and called for an all-party meet, Mamata Banerjee of TMC has lambasted the exercise and its end product as divisive in nature, aimed at turning Bengalis and Biharis out of Assam. She has slammed the Modi government for resorting to “vote bank and divide-and-rule policy” and has offered shelter in her state to people who are left out. She even tried unsuccessfully to send a delegation of legislators and party men to Assam. Worried about the possibility of a similar exercise in her state post-2019 polls, she is even reported to have warned of a civil war as a possible consequence.

Despite the Opposition’s fears, it is noteworthy that all communities living in Assam had overwhelmingly cooperated with the authorities in the process of updating of the NRC. This was hardly surprising since the demand for the process had emanated from the people themselves. For the same reason, full cooperation from the people may be expected during the run-up to the finalization of the document and subsequent to its publication. Besides, there is no alternative to the NRC for the documentation of the population. In any case, both the central and the state government have already allayed the apprehensions of those left out with the assurance that they have recourse to appeal.

Opposition parties have criticized the NRC of being violative of human rights and democratic rights of the affected people. As the mandate of the exercise was very precise, namely, identification of the people without valid documents, and the exercise was in accordance with the demand of the people, and carried out under the supervision of the Supreme Court, for the Opposition to argue now that NRC has deprived those who failed to make the cut of their human and democratic rights is nothing but the political equivalent of asking for an omelette without breaking an egg.

In any case, the peace-loving people of Assam would rather like a final resolution on the issue of illegal immigration without any further delay than be mute witnesses to a game of political football over a non-issue. What is more, the people of the North Eastern states of Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh have joined the bandwagon and demanded NRC in their states too to check the vexatious problem of illegal immigration.

(The article Why NRC is Necessary to curb Illegal Migrants published in daily newspaper “The Statesman” on 11th August 2018)

92 thoughts on “Why NRC is Necessary to curb Illegal Migrants

  1. Umesh kumar

    It is even in the accord that national register of citizens will be updated so that legal inhabitants of Assam are given their due share in resources and unlawful residents are sent back to their homeland.

    Reply
  2. Harmeet Singh

    Oppostion has problems with triple talaq, GST and demonetisation. They have issues with NRC and they are criticising surgical attacks. Why then not agree that they are anything but nationalist?

    Reply
  3. Avishkar Nikum

    The left political class and media outlets will blame the BJP of being a majoritarian and authoritative government. It is in their interest to condemn such important exercise.

    Reply
  4. Saurabh Sinha

    The important question is why these people who we term as illegal migrants came to India from Bangladesh. If they came to take refuge from persecution in their home country they must be welcomed.

    Reply
  5. Khushboo Yadav

    Leave Assam or West Bengal, there are illegal migrants hiding in national capital and other big cities of India. What about them? Will NRC be updated only in Assam?

    Reply
  6. Juhi Davda

    Every policy decision of BJP government is fair and free from any bias. Had it been the congress party, everyone would have praised their action or kept silent.

    Reply
  7. Devesh punshi

    The issue is not about Hindu or Muslims. Here the concern is that we already have very limited resources with such high population hence unlawful inhabitants must be sent back.

    Reply
  8. Aniket Kotpalliwar

    We are to understand that NRC was not ordered or initiated by the Modi government but it was ordered by Supreme Court and initiated with court having due knowledge of the matter.

    Reply
  9. Namrata Bansal

    In the name of conducting an exercise to determine who legally crossed the border, the Indian government is only targeting Muslim minority.

    Reply
  10. Hardik Parmar

    It is in the open that illegal migrants, specifically from Bangladesh, alter the results of elections. Better is to extend the NRC to entire country and weed out appeasement of non-citizens.

    Reply
  11. Priya zafar

    Just wanted to say how much we appreciate the tremendous amount of hard work and effort you all put in to producing this website. It is a great credit to everyone and I am sure will be a great success.

    Reply
  12. Vidushi Gupta

    Thank you for the introduction to the new website. I will be re-visiting it many times, but on a fast run-through it looks really great.

    Reply
  13. Chetan Patidar

    I just want to mention I am all new to weblog and truly savored this blog site. Likely I want to bookmark your blog . You actually have terrific articles. With thanks for sharing with us your web site.

    Reply
  14. Ghanshyam jha

    Spot on with this write-up, I absolutely believe that this amazing site needs much more attention. I will probably be returning to read through more, thanks for the advice.

    Reply
  15. Jaikar Mukesh

    Just finished reading your article and wanted to congratulate you on your compelling abilities. Good luck for the future work.

    Reply
  16. Kinshuk mech

    What I have seen so far is brilliant and everyone involved should be congratulated. I can see me spending the rest of the evening perusing the site. Just when I thought I would like an early night.

    Reply
  17. Utkarsh Prakash

    I blog often and I really thank you for your content. This great article has truly peaked my interest. I am going to book mark your website and keep checking for new information about once per week.

    Reply
  18. Inderraj Gill

    Excellent weblog right here. Also your site loads up very fast. I want my website loaded up as quickly as yours lol

    Reply
  19. Aasrushi Deshta

    I am very happy to find this web site. I wanted to thank you for your time due to this fantastic read. I definitely liked every little bit of it and i also have you saved to fav to see new information in your site.

    Reply
  20. Dharma teja

    Absolutely wonderful, well done everyone, what a great achievement. Here is to the future and success for everyone. Thank you all for your hard work, we know it will be ongoing and trust that you will get the appreciation and credit of putting such brilliant articles on the worldwide web. Looking forward to seeing it grow.

    Reply
  21. Gejum Potom

    It is always exciting to read through articles from other authors and use a little something from other sites.

    Reply
  22. Roohi Sharma

    After looking into a handful of the blog articles on your website, I seriously like your technique of writing a blog. I added it to my bookmark site list and will be checking back in the near future.

    Reply
  23. Eshank Jain

    Hi there. I simply would like to give you a big thumbs up for your great information you have got right here on this post. I will be returning to your website for more soon.

    Reply
  24. Abhijeet Thenge

    This is undoubtedly the most clean and clear form of writing that have seen so far. Congrats to attain this level.

    Reply
  25. Puneet Sharma

    Quality posts is the important to be a focus for the people to visit the web page, that is what this web site is providing.

    Reply
  26. Ashutosh Pandit

    I have read so many posts about the blogger lovers however this paragraph is in fact a fastidious paragraph, keep it up.

    Reply
  27. Vigneshwara Kokonda

    This is really interesting, You are a very skilled blogger. I have joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your great post. Also, I have shared your web site in my social networks.

    Reply
  28. Ashi Yadav

    I just want to say I am just all new to blogging and site-building and absolutely enjoyed this web site. Likely I want to bookmark your site . You actually come with amazing writings. Bless you for sharing your web page.

    Reply
  29. Rajjat sagar

    I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this information together. I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and commenting.

    Reply
  30. Arpit agarwal

    Rarely do I come across a blog that is both educative and amusing, and without a doubt, you’ve hit the nail on the head.

    Reply
  31. Asmit Dutta

    Remarkable! Its actually remarkable piece of writing, I have got much clear idea on the topic of from this paragraph.|

    Reply
  32. Onkar burnwal

    Great task on this publish. I enjoy the way you displayed your info as well as the way a person achieved it significant and also obvious to be aware of. Thanks a great deal.

    Reply
  33. Om prakash sahu

    This site definitely has all of the information and facts I needed concerning this subject and did not know who to ask.

    Reply
  34. Nitya saluja

    Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon everyday. It is always interesting to read through content from other authors and practice something from their web sites.

    Reply
  35. Abby Shekh

    it is very straightforward to find out any topic on net as compared to books, as I found this article at this web site.

    Reply
  36. Sachin thakur

    Way cool. Some extremely valid points. I appreciate you penning this post and the rest of the website is really good.

    Reply
  37. Pooja bansal

    I wonder how come you get to know that this is the exact information that I have been looking for. Thanks a ton man.

    Reply
  38. Saicharan kapoor

    I am often to blogging and i really appreciate your content. The article has actually peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your web site and keep checking for brand new information.

    Reply
  39. abhishek Kumar

    it is actually a nice and helpful piece of information. I am satisfied that you just shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us informed like this.

    Reply
  40. Jai Prakash

    Hurrah, that is what I was seeking for, what a material. present here at this web site, thanks Dr gupta for this post.

    Reply
  41. Salma Khan

    I do not even know how I ended up here, however I assumed this publish was great. I do not recognize who you are however certainly you are going to a well-known blogger in the event you are not already. Cheers.

    Reply
  42. SHASHWAT CHOPRA

    I need to to thank you for this wonderful read.. I certainly loved every little bit of it. I have got you book-marked to look at new stuff you post…

    Reply
  43. Vidit Shah

    An intriguing discussion is definitely worth comment. I do believe that you ought to publish more on this issue, it may not be a taboo matter but typically people do not speak about such topics. To the next. Cheers..

    Reply
  44. Siddarth punjabi

    I quite like reading an article that can make men and women think. Also, thank you for permitting me to comment.

    Reply
  45. Nishank Rai

    Just spent a few very enjoyable minutes looking at the site. Excellent. Well done. Overall very good: clean, easy to navigate, informative and, importantly, interesting.

    Reply
  46. Abhishek Dattak

    I read this article completely about the comparison of most up-to-date and preceding technologies, it is remarkable article.

    Reply
  47. Payal Mathur

    You ought to take part in a contest for one of the most useful blogs online. I am going to highly recommend this blog.

    Reply
  48. Nitin Garg

    My family always say that I am killing my time here at net, however I know I am getting know-how all the time by reading such good articles.

    Reply
  49. Keshaw srivastava

    Your article will surely be a great help to a lot of people. An outstanding blend of thinking and good writing.

    Reply
  50. Abhishek Tiwari

    You definitely put a fresh spin on a subject that is been discussed for years. Wonderful stuff, just excellent.

    Reply
  51. Sabin Verma

    Hi, all the time i used to check weblog posts here in the early hours in the break of day, because i enjoy to learn more and more.

    Reply
  52. Prashant sawant

    Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts. Carry on the great work.

    Reply
  53. Avinash Thawait

    You are to be commended for your excellent writing skills.Hope to see more of your flawless skills soon.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Maharatna Mrithyunjay Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *