'Right move': Naqvi supports Assam CM's Aadhaar-NRC link decision

New Delhi: BJP leader and former Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Sunday supported Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's decision not to issue Aadhaar cards without National Register of Citizens (NRC) documentation.

Praising the Assam CM's decision as "the right move", he said that raising questions about citizenship is not good for the country, any religion, or humanity.

Naqvi also contended that, over the past few decades, infiltrators have claimed constitutional rights over India's resources. Any measure taken in the nation's interest to address this issue is necessary, he stressed.

Chief Minister Sarma on Saturday announced that new applicants for Aadhaar cards in the state must provide their NRC Application Receipt Number (ARN). Sarma noted that in four districts - Barpeta, Dhubri, Morigaon, and Nagaon -the number of Aadhaar cardholders exceeds the estimated population.

According to the Assam CM, a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will be developed, and it will be implemented from October 1, 2024.

Requiring the NRC ARN would help prevent the entry of illegal foreigners, and the state government would be very strict about issuing Aadhaar cards, he added.

He said that as the number of Aadhaar card applications is much higher than the population, it indicated that there may be suspicious citizens in the state, and this is why the state government has decided that the NRC Application Receipt Number will be mandatory for Aadhaar card applications.

According to the CM, in Barpeta, the application rate is 103.74 per cent, in Dhubri, it is 103 per cent, and in both Morigaon and Nagaon, it is 101 per cent.

As per Assam's decision, new applicants will only receive Aadhaar cards if they obtain a No Objection Certificate from the district Commissioner. These certificates will be thoroughly checked.

If an applicant has an NRC ARN, it confirms that they have been in the state since before 2014.

The Central government has given state governments the authority to decide whether or not to issue Aadhaar cards to individuals.