Nationwide NRC need of the hour — Himanta Biswa Sarma in Karnataka

BENGALURU — Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday asserted that the country should have a National Register of Citizens (NRC) to ensure that government schemes reach the deserving.

Sarma, who is on a campaign trail in Karnataka, also batted for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and claimed that this would ensure gender justice and equal rights for Muslim women in the country.

The Assam CM has been actively campaigning for the BJP for the past two days in the southern state, where the saffron camp is looking to retain power.

Addressing a presser in Bengaluru’s Malleswaram earlier in the day, Sarma said, “A nationwide NRC is just the need of the hour. Our country has completed 75 years of independence, and we are moving towards Amrit Kaal. However, until today, we do not know who the actual citizens of this country are. This has created a confusion whether government schemes are reaching the right people or not.”

He mentioned that AADHAR is not proof of citizenship.

Terming BJP’s election manifesto in Karnataka a “historic” one, the Assam Chief Minister said it included the promise of implementing the NRC in the state.

“I want to congratulate the Karnataka BJP. This will facilitate a nationwide call for NRC implementation,” he added.

Sarma also stressed on the enactment of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

He said, “UCC is very important to give gender justice and equal rights to our Muslim women. The Karnataka BJP has moved in that direction. I hope that this will also open up the discussion on implementing UCC in the whole country.”

The BJP leader also supported the Karnataka government’s move to scrap the 4 per cent Muslim reservation.