Finalise NRC in Assam before SIR of voters’ list: CPI(M)

GUWAHATI

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has stated that the exercise to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) must be finalised before the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list picks up pace in Assam.

The party’s State committee said on Monday (August 25, 2025) that a hurried revision based on the Bihar model would not yield an accurate electoral roll in Assam.

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Suprakash Talukdar, the CPI(M)’s State secretary, accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of misusing the SIR allegedly under the directives of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to delete 65 lakh names from the Bihar voters’ list. He said most of those who found themselves disenfranchised were migrant workers, minorities, Dalits, backward classes, and women.

“Against this background, the CPI(M) asserts that in Assam, the first step must be the finalisation of the NRC,” Mr. Talukdar said, pointing out that the exercise was undertaken in consonance with the Assam Accord of 1985, and monitored by the Supreme Court using March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date to exclude non-citizens.

“Yet the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) governments at the Centre and in Assam have, for dubious reasons, refused to recognise it as a citizenship document. For six years, the Registrar General of India has neither notified the NRC nor issued rejection slips, denying the excluded persons any legal recourse,” Mr. Talukdar said.

The complete draft of the NRC was published on August 31, 2019, leaving out 19.06 lakh out of 3.3 crore applicants for the lack of proper documents to establish their citizenship.

“A complete NRC, inclusive of all genuine citizens, is essential for a permanent solution to the citizenship issue in Assam, and a reliable basis to detect and expel illegal immigrants. Instead, the BJP complicated matters further with the communal and unconstitutional Citizenship (Amendment) Act,” Mr. Talukdar said.

“Starting the SIR in Assam without first finalising the NRC will make a flawless electoral roll impossible. Citizenship is a highly sensitive matter in Assam, and the State government has been spreading communal hatred by branding a section of religious minorities as doubtful citizens,” he said.

‘Aadhaar injustice’

The CPI(M) also protested the State Cabinet’s decision to suspend Aadhaar enrolment for those above 18 years from October.

“Aadhaar is an ongoing national process and not a proof of citizenship, as clarified by the UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India), the Central government, and even the Supreme Court. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s claim that halting Aadhaar will prevent foreigners from gaining citizenship is baseless,” the party said.

The CPI(M) trashed the Chief Minister’s claim that Assam had achieved 103% Aadhaar coverage.

“According to the UIDAI’s July 31 report, about 95% of Assam’s estimated population holds Aadhaar, implying 10-13 lakh adults still do not have the unique number. Most of them are poor, illiterate, and socially disadvantaged. Denying them even the right to apply is grossly unjust,” the CPI(M) said, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the decision.