'NRC to cover everyone irrespective of religion', MHA Shah differentiates NRC from Citizenship Bill

New Delhi, November 20: Standing up for the rights of the citizens, Union Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that all citizens of India irrespective of religion will figure in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) list and that NRC is different from the Citizenship Amendment Bill. The Home Minister also asserted that the need for Citizenship Bill is vital so that Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Christian, Parsi refugees who are discriminated on the basis of religion in other countries get an Indian Citizenship.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Amit Shah said that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) has no such provision which says that certain religions will be excluded from it. All citizens of India irrespective of religion will figure in the NRC list. The NRC is different from Citizenship Amendment Bill. “The process of NRC will be carried out across the country. No one, irrespective of religion should be worried, it is just a process to get everyone under the NRC,” he added.

He said that Citizenship Amendment Bill is needed so that Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Christian, Parsi refugees who are being discriminated on basis of religion in Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghanistan, get Indian citizenship. “Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Christian, Parsi refugees should get citizenship, that is why Citizenship Amendment Bill is needed so that these refugees who are being discriminated on basis of religion in Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghanistan, get Indian citizenship,” said Shah.

Speaking in the Upper House of Parliament Shah said, “People whose name have not figured in the draft list have the right to go to the Tribunal. Tribunals will be constituted across Assam. For those who can't afford legal counsel for the Tribunal, the Assam government will bear the cost to hire a lawyer.”

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8, aims at granting citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014. In the final NRC list published on August 31, a total of 3,11,21,004 persons were found eligible for inclusion in the list leaving out 19,06,657 persons, including those who did not submit their claims in Assam.