After Assam, demands pressed for NRC exercise in Bengal, Bihar and Delhi

New Delhi: As the heated argument over NRC draft in Assam continues, fresh demands are emerging for its extension to other states in the country such as Bengal Bihar and Delhi. The upper house of the Parliament is likely to witness a commotion today also on the issue. Home Minister Rajnath Singh will be making statement in Rajya Sabha over the NRC issue. Amid the ongoing debate over the NRC in Assam, BJP leader Naresh Agarwal said today that it should be extended to all states because ‘illegal Bangaldeshi migrants’ are living in many parts of the country. NRC exercise in Assam, BJP leader Naresh Agarwal said today that it should be extended to all states in the country, as illegal Bangaldeshi immigrants are living in various parts of the country. "National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a matter of national security. There are states also such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and others where like Assam illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are staying," Agarwal said. Agarwal, who recently switched over to the BJP from the SP, made these remarks on a day which witnessed slugfest between the saffron party and opposition parties mainly the TMC. On the lines of Assam NRC, Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari pressed demand in the Lok Sabha for similar implementation in Delhi. Lauding the Assam government for its achievement in preparing the draft NRC, the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO), an umbrella body of students of all the north eastern states, demanded that the exercise be extended to the other states in the region as well as they too faced the illegal immigration problem. NESO chairman Samuel Jyrwa said, “The NRC was one of the demands after the Assam Accord. Now, we desire that it should be extended to all the north eastern states.” He added that the other north eastern states also suffered due to illegal immigration. “We have seen the quantum of rejections (people left out of the NRC final draft) in Assam and the states in the north east are extremely cautious lest these people run for refuge from Assam,” Jyrwa said. The Meghalaya government held a high-level meeting to take stock of the situation along its border with Assam, officials said. Names of over 4 million people in Assam were excluded from the draft NRC list, prepared following a long-drawn process to identify illegal Bangladeshis living in the state. The BJP was led by its chief Amit Shah who said that the NRC will be implemented "to the last full stop" as his party stands for national security and Indians' rights. Shah also asked opposition parties to take a clear stand on the issue and not indulge in vote bank politics. While TMC leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the NRC in Assam was done with a "political motive" to divide people and warned that it would lead to bloodbath and a civil war in the country. (With inputs from agencies)