Irrespective of religion, NRC will cover everyone: Amit Shah

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that all citizens of India irrespective of religion will figure in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) list and that NRC is different from the Citizenship Amendment Bill.

"NRC has no such provision which says that certain religions will be excluded from it. All citizens of India irrespective of religion will figure in the NRC list. The NRC is different from Citizenship Amendment Bill," said Shah addressing the Rajya Sabha here.

"The process of NRC will be carried out across the country. No one, irrespective of religion should be worried, it is just a process to get everyone under the NRC," he added.

Speaking in the Upper House of Parliament Shah said: "People whose name have not figured in the draft list have the right to go to the Tribunal. Tribunals will be constituted across Assam. For those who can't afford legal counsel for the Tribunal, the Assam government will bear the cost to hire a lawyer."

He said that Citizenship Amendment Bill is needed so that Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Christian, Parsi refugees who are being discriminated on basis of religion in Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghanistan, get Indian citizenship.

"Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Christian, Parsi refugees should get citizenship, that is why Citizenship Amendment Bill is needed so that these refugees who are being discriminated on basis of religion in Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghanistan, get Indian citizenship," said Shah.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8, aims at granting citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.

In the final NRC list published on August 31, a total of 3,11,21,004 persons were found eligible for inclusion in the list leaving out 19,06,657 persons, including those who did not submit their claims in Assam.