The NRC process will be carriedout across India, Home Minister Amit Shah said in Rajya Sabhaon Wednesday while making it clear that there would be nodiscrimination on the basis of religion.
Shah said the Government accepts that refugees – Hindu,Buddhists, Jain, Christians, Sikhs and Parsis – who leftPakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan due to religiousatrocities should get Indian citizenship.
‘The process of National Register of Citizens (NRC) willbe carried out across the country. No one irrespective oftheir religion should be worried. It is just a process to geteveryone under the NRC,’ he said replying to a supplementaryduring Question Hour in the Upper House.
He said there is no provision in NRC that peoplebelonging to other religions will not be included in theregister.
‘People from all religions who are Indian citizens willbe included. There is no question of any discrimination onthe basis of religion. NRC is a different process and theCitizenship Amendment Bill is different,’ Shah said.
In Assam, the NRC process was carried out as per SupremeCourt order, he said and added that when the NRC process willbe implemented in the entire country Assam will also beincluded.
The Home Minister said that in Assam, people whose namehas not figured in the draft list, have the right to go to theTribunal.
‘Tribunals will be constituted across Assam. If anyperson doesn’t have the money to approach tribunals, then theAssam government will bear the cost to hire a lawyer,’ hesaid.
He reiterated that all citizens of India irrespective ofreligion will figure in the NRC list.
The Home Minister said the government accepts that Hindurefugees, Buddhists, Jain, Christians and Sikh and Parsishould get this country’s citizenship and this is why theCitizenship Amendment Bill is there.
‘All refugees coming from Bangladesh, Pakistan andAfghanistan on account of religious atrocities will getcitizenship under the Bill,’ he said.
He said Lok Sabha had passed the Bill and the SelectCommittee had approved it but Lok Sabha had lapsed.
‘Now it will come again. It has no connection with theNRC,’ he said