What about the rights of people of Assam: Amit Shah questions on NRC row

The Parliament witnessed massive protests for the past two days over the issue of NRC.

Addressing a press conference here, Shah said: "If you talk about human rights, what about the rights of people of Assam? Their rights of education, jobs were being taken away."

"Every party should make their stand clear," he said while attacking the opposition leaders.

Shah also criticised West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief, Mamata Banerjee, over the latter's comments on NRC and said she was following 'vote bank' politics.

"She is only concerned about votes," Shah said.

Mamata Attacks Centre over NRC:

Mamata on Tuesday attacked the Centre over the Assam NRC issue and said it was an attempt to divide the country.

She said the entire move was made by the Centre, which is run by the BJP, for gaining votes.

"I don't want to see my motherland divided," Banerjee said.

"If Bengalis say Biharis can't stay in Bengal, South Indian people say North Indians can't stay there and North Indians say South Indians can't stay here. What will be state of this country, because we are together. Our country is a family," she said.

She said: "Only to win polls people can't be victimised. Don't you think people who's name isn't in list will lose a part of their identity?"

"Please understand India-Pakistan-Bangladesh were one before partition. Whoever came from Bangladesh to India till March 1971 is Indian citizen," the West Bengal CM said.

Ruckus in Parliament:

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day while the Opposition staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha as the NRC issue in Assam rocked Parliament on Tuesday triggering a huge ruckus.

According to reports, the disruptions in both the Houses were led by the TMC amid a continuing blame game with fusillades flying thick over the deletion of more than four million names from the updated list of Indian nationals in Assam.

In course of the verbal war, Amit Shah launched a counter attack against the Congress, saying that the  the very basis of the exercise and NRC (National Register of Citizen) is the Assam Accord signed by former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi.

"This was a move by your prime minister only," Shah told the upper house targeting the Opposition and Congress over the issue.

Amid noisy protests, Shah said "you [Congress and opposition] did not have the courage to implement it [Assam Accord]. We have the courage to do it."

The Assam Accord (1985) was signed between the Government of India led by Rajiv Gandhi and the leaders of the Assam Movement in New Delhi on 15 August 1985 after a six-year agitation demanding identification and deportation of illegal immigrants by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU).

"They are shouting over the figure of 40 lakh. I ask you who you want to save? The illegal Bangladeshis?" Amit Shah asked, adding that the NRC was being prepared under the supervision of the Supreme Court.

The Congress and the TMC have accused the government of using the pretext of Bangladeshi migrants to target Assam's Muslim population.

Sparking fears of deportation and a law and order crisis, India on Monday announced exclusion of about four million people from citizenship in the northeastern state of Assam bordering Bangladesh after a draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) was published.

Those excluded from the list could not prove their citizenship by providing valid documents and they are mostly Muslim immigrants who came to Assam before 1971, when millions fled Bangladesh’s war of independence.