Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi Questions Prominent Citizens' Exclusion from NRC

New Delhi, July 2, 2019:

Congress' Gaurav Gogoi, the Member of Parliament from Assam's Kaliabar Lok Sabha constituency, raised the matter of prominent Gorkha citizens are being excluded from the National Register of Citizens (NRC) during the Zero Hour on Monday.

Addressing the Speaker, Om Birla, the MP said: "An additional 1.2 lakh people have been left excluded in a list that was published on June 26. Many prominent citizens have been included in this exclusion list. For example, Manju Devi, who is the daughter of a freedom fighter, Sahitya Akademi award winner Durga Khatiwada, are some of the prominent names who have been excluded from the NRC. Many Hindi speakers are being excluded from the list. Therefore, I urge the MHA to take this whole process into consideration. The Gorkhas, Hindi-speaking, and Bengai speaking people who have been excluded, must be taken into consideration."

The Congress leader also posted the video from the Lok Sabha on his official Twitter account, alongside which he wrote: "During the zero hour today, I raised the matter of prominent citizens from Gorkha community in Assam being left out of NRC - Sahitya Akademi winner and a relative of a great freedom fighter. Many genuine Hindi speaking, Bengali Hindu and Muslims are excluded which raises doubts."

It may be mentioned that Assam's Gorkha organizations have caused a hue-and-cry after the family members of the Assam Agitation’s first martyr, Baijyanti Devi, have been excluded from the complete draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The organizations have also decried the exclusion the Sahitya Akademi awardee and President of Assam Nepali Sahitya Sabha Durga Khatiwada from the NRC draft. Moreover, the great-granddaughter of freedom fighter Chabilal Upadhyay, was also excluded from the NRC draft and designated a ‘D’ voter.

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