Union Home Minister, Amit Shah today set a deadline for the nation-wide implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) today and said the ruling government would drive out all “illegal immigrants” before 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“I assure you NRC will be implemented across the country and all infiltrators identified and expelled before 2024 polls,” Amit Shah addressing a rally in Jharkhand, Indian Express reports.
Union minister Shah aggressively advocated for implementing the NRC across the nation after saying “the name itself is National Register of Citizens, not National Register of Assam.”
Assam’s NRC was published on August 31, which excluded 19 lakh applicants.
However, the ruling BJP party refused to accept and demanded a fresh NRC in the state after the government last week said it “cannot accept this NRC”.
The Union Minister told Rajya Sabha last week that the NRC exercise would be extended to the whole country and along with Assam again.
“The NRC exercise in Assam was undertaken as per an order of the Supreme Court and as per a separate Act. When the NRC exercise is replicated across the country, it will naturally have to be repeated in Assam.
I want to make it clear again that people, whichever religion they belong to, should not feel scared. Everybody will be included in NRC,” Shah had said.
Earlier, Shah had also said to introduce the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) — slotted for the current Winter Session of Parliament.