Guwahati:

All new applicants for Aadhaar cards in Assam need to submit their NRC application receipt number (ARN), Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday.

A detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) will be prepared for the purpose and this will be implemented from October 1, he said.

The submission of the application receipt number of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will stop the “influx of illegal foreigners” and the state government will be ”very strict” in issuing Aadhaar cards, he said.

”Applications for Aadhaar cards are more than the population…It indicates that there are doubtful citizens and we have decided that new applicants will have to submit their NRC application receipt number (ARN),” the chief minister said at a press conference here.

He also said, “It will not be easy to get Aadhaar in Assam and hopefully, other states will also be strict in issuing Aadhaar cards.” The submission of the ARN will not be applicable to the 9.55 lakh people whose biometrics were locked during the NRC process, and they will get their cards,Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

It will also not be applicable in the tea garden areas as many have not got their Aadhaar cards due to some practical difficulties like non-availability of adequate biometric machines, the CM said.

Himanta Biswa Sarma pointed out that four districts have reported “more applications for Aadhaar cards than their total projected population”.

“These districts are Barpeta with 103.74 per cent, Dhubri with 103 per cent, and both Morigaon and Nagaon with 101 per cent,” he said.

According to him, the Centre has given the right to the state governments to decide on whether an Aadhaar card can be issued to an individual or not.

”In Assam, we have decided that Aadhaar cards will be issued to new applicants only after a no objection certificate is given by the district commissioner concerned. Such certificates will be issused after minutely examining all aspects. If the applicant has the NRC ARN, it becomes clear that he was in the state before 2014,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The chief minister said his government will “intensify the process of identification of illegal foreigners as several Bangladeshis were apprehended in the last two months and handed over to the authorities of the neighbouring country”.

Recent reports indicate an “increase in the number of illegal immigrants being detected, necessitating intensified efforts across the state to proactively curb the movement of illegal migrants while also taking steps to repatriate these individuals”, he pointed out.

Himanta Biswa Sarma said border surveillance and patrolling will be strengthened in areas under the jurisdiction of border outposts to detect and prevent illegal border crossings.

Stronger coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF) and other central agencies will be established to facilitate seamless information sharing and joint operations for enhanced border security, he said.

Intelligence-gathering mechanisms, focusing on cross-border networks and infiltration routes will be enhanced along with community awareness programmes in border areas, he said.

Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that residents in border areas will be encouraged to report suspicious movements or new settlers, which will help early detection of potential illegal immigrants.

All cases of illegal immigrants must be promptly documented and forwarded to the Foreigners Tribunals for adjudication, while periodic verification of records should be conducted to prevent them from evading detection, the chief minister said.

Village or field-level government functionaries will be activated to gather information on new and unknown persons and upon receiving such information, an enumeration of suspected illegal immigrants must be conducted in consultation with Assam Police (HQ), district administration, and district police, he said.

Sustained efforts will be launched to locate and apprehend individuals, who have been on the run after being declared foreigners by the Foreigners Tribunals, the CM said.

After identifying suspected individuals or families, their biometrics will be collected and if such individuals possess Aadhaar, PAN, Voter IDs, or passports, their numbers should be recorded for future reference, Sarma added.

From January 2024 till date, 54 illegal immigrants have been detected – 48 in Karimganj, 4 in Bongaigaon and one each in Haflong GRP and Dhubri district.

Of them, 45 were handed over to their country of origin, while nine were arrested in Karimganj.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A war of words between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav has escalated over the Assam government’s move to scrap the practice of two-hour assembly session adjournment for jumma prayers.

While Mr Sarma from the ruling BJP pointed out the decision was taken jointly by all MLAs including Hindu and Muslim leaders, Mr Yadav alleged the Assam Chief Minister’s party has made Muslims soft targets to spread hate and polarise society.

What escalated the exchange between the two was Mr Yadav’s post on X that took a swipe at Mr Sarma as someone who wants to “gain cheap popularity and become the Chinese version of Yogi,” alluding to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

असम के मुख्यमंत्री सस्ती लोकप्रियता हासिल करने एवं “योगी का चाइनीज़ वर्जन” बनने के प्रयास में जानबुझकर मुसलमानों को परेशान करने वाले कृत्य करते रहते है। BJP के लोगों ने नफ़रत फैलाने, मोदी-शाह का ध्यान आकृष्ट करने एवं समाज में धुर्वीकरण करने के लिए मुसलमान भाइयों को सॉफ्ट टारगेट… pic.twitter.com/tVue9mXoY9

— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) August 30, 2024

The RJD leader did not indicate if he was referring to inferior quality goods from China, or the north-east region, where people have often complained of racist remarks directed towards them.

Responding to Mr Yadav’s attack, Mr Sarma said, “Doing away with the two-hour jumma break was not the Chief Minister’s decision, but of all Hindu and Muslim legislators. When the assembly Speaker on Friday announced it, no Muslim MLA in the house raised any protest. There are 25 Muslim MLAs in Assam assembly, out of a total 126.”

असम में जुम्मे के ब्रेक को ख़त्म करने के निर्णय को कांग्रेस ने भी समर्थन दिया। बिहार या देश की किसी भी अन्य विधानसभा में ऐसा कोई ब्रेक है ही नहीं। मैं हैरान हूँ कि असम के बाहर के लोग बिना सोचे-समझे इसका विरोध कर रहे हैं। pic.twitter.com/fuUhhEi1nf

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 31, 2024

The Assam Chief Minister said the proposal to do away with this provision in the rules of procedures of the assembly was placed before the rules committee, headed by the Speaker, which unanimously agreed to drop the jumma practice.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who is from the BJP, waded into the battle and attacked Mr Yadav, alleging that the RJD leader had labelled the Assam Chief Minister “a Chinese just because he is from the northeast.”

“It appears that the INDI Alliance is made up of a bunch of ignorant racists who have no information about the history and geography of our country. First, it was Sam Pitroda. Now, it’s Tejashwi Yadav who is being racist towards the people of northeast,” Mr Singh said.

It appears that the INDI Alliance is made up of a bunch of ignorant racists who have no information about the history & geography of our country.

First, it was Sam Pitroda. Now, it’s Tejashwi Yadav who is being racist towards the people of North east.

It is unfortunate that a… pic.twitter.com/uc78LpohC2

— N. Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) August 31, 2024

Mr Sarma also shot back at Mr Yadav, accusing him of “hypocrisy”. “Tejashwi Yadav is criticising me but I want to ask him… is there any such practice in Bihar? You (Mr Yadav) should have implemented a four-hour break when you were deputy chief minister of Bihar. Practice it first before preaching,” Mr Sarma said.

He added the decision was being criticised only outside Assam, while the state MLAs showed commitment to work for development.

In May 2021, a blogger from Punjab was charged by the Arunachal Pradesh government for his racial remarks against a Congress MLA. The YouTube blogger Paras Singh had in a video termed then Congress MLA Ninong Ering a “non-Indian” and claimed the “state was a part of China”, sparking furore among Arunachal residents as well as people from other parts of the country. Paras Singh was arrested and brought to Arunachal Pradesh, where he said he realised his mistake and sought apology. He was granted bail and allowed to return home.

Guwahati:

Eighteen Opposition parties in Assam have filed a police complaint against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his comments that he would not let ‘Miya’ Muslims “take over” Assam.

The joint forum of the 18 Opposition parties led by the Congress alleged Mr Sarma has encouraged hate among communities.

“There are 18 Opposition parties in Assam who have jointly filed a police complaint against the Chief Minister. Since the Lok Sabha poll results, the Assam Chief Minister s trying to create communal riots and making sensitive statements even inside the assembly. We will also write to the President,” Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah said.

Mr Sarma made the comment in the assembly when the rape of a 14-year-old girl in Nagaon and the state’s law and order issue came up for discussion. The situation in Sivasagar district over alleged targeting of Bengali-speaking Muslims from Lower Assam was also raised.

When the Opposition charged him with being partisan, Mr Sarma said, “I will take sides. What can you do about it?” Amid the heated exchange, AIUDF MLA Rafikul Islam said people from Lower Assam would go to Upper Assam districts as it was their right, referring to a diktat by some organisations asking them to leave immediately.

“Why will people from Lower Assam go to Upper Assam? So that Miya Muslims can take over Assam? We won’t let it happen,” the Chief Minister said.

On Wednesday, Mr Sarma said he only repeated the same paragraph that former Governor SK Sinha had said.

“I have reiterated the same paragraphs that late Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi, the first Chief Minister of Assam, had said in the assembly. Former Chief Minister Bishnuram Medhi had also said it. I neither added nor modified it. If they want to file FIR (first information report), they have to file it against everybody. I pity them,” Mr Sarma said.

New Delhi:

Himanta Biswa Sarma today directed his top officials to ensure that only vegetarian and ‘Satvik’ food is served during all official government events.

“Only simple vegetarian meals are to be served at all official meetings. This rule shall not apply to state guests,” said the Assam Chief Minister during a conference with deputy commissioners in Guwahati.

In a bid to end VIP culture, Mr Sarma also instructed the deputy commissioners to keep government functions simple and solemn and said that the cavalcade should not consist of more than 10 cars during a visit by a chief minister or a deputy commissioner, superintendent of police.

Mr Himanta had earlier announced that ministers, government officials will have to pay for their own electricity consumption.

“We are ending the VIP Culture rule of paying electricity bills of Government officials using tax payer money. Myself and the Chief Secretary will set an example and start paying our power bills from July 1 onwards. Beginning July 2024, all public servants will have to pay for their own electricity consumption,” the Assam Chief Minister had said in a post on X.