BJP’s Raghubar Das has announced that if his party is voted to power in the upcoming assembly polls, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be implemented in Jharkhand. Das, former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, claimed that he wrote to the Centre for the Implementation of the NRC in 2018 concerning the changing demographics in the tribal-dominated Santal Paragana region of Jharkhand, where illegal Bangladeshi infiltration is said to be a significant concern. He accuses the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government of not addressing the issue of illegal immigrants and instead following an appeasement policy. The BJP has already geared up for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to ensure their victory in all 14 parliamentary constituencies in the state.
Das’s statement on implementing the NRC has sparked controversy. While the BJP sees it as a solution to the increasing infiltration of illegal immigrants, critics see it as a tool for exclusion and discrimination against those who cannot produce the required documents to prove their citizenship. Several parts of Assam had undergone an NRC exercise in 2019, leading to the exclusion of over 19 lakh people from the final list. The NRC was the fulfillment of an election promise made by BJP in 2016 when it was a poll issue in Assam.
The Congress has criticized the BJP’s move, stating that instead of addressing the pressing issues faced by people in Jharkhand, they are using the same old tactics to polarize voters. Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC) spokesperson Alok Kumar Dubey has said that the BJP is trying to create an unnecessary issue before the upcoming assembly elections. He accused the BJP of playing divisive politics and distracting voters from the real issues.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also questioned the BJP’s motive behind implementing the NRC. Sanjay Singh, senior AAP leader, has said that the NRC has been the BJP’s agenda to polarize voters since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and questioned the timing of Das’s announcement. He urged the people of Jharkhand to remain united and focussed on development issues rather than falling prey to such tactics.
The implementation of the NRC has been a contentious topic of discussion across the country with several states opposing it, calling it an unconstitutional and discriminatory exercise. While the BJP sees it as necessary to combat illegal immigration, others believe that it has the potential to wreak havoc on people’s lives and the nation’s social fabric.
As Jharkhand heads towards the next assembly polls, it remains to be seen how the contentious issue of the NRC will sway voters and whether or not it will become a poll issue.
