Extending support to the much-discussed National Register of Citizens of India (NRC) report, Army Chief Bipin Rawat in an interview to news channel Times Now on Wednesday, 21 November, said that political parties opposing NRC are undermining national security as “illegal immigrants need to be deported.”
The remarks made by the army chief comes ahead of the final list of NRC to be submitted in December as announced by the Home Ministry in July.
“If they are illegal, they need to be deported. If they are legal, they need to be amalgamated. But then that amalgamation must happen in a manner that benefits everybody. Let it not go the political way.”Bipin Rawat, Army Chief
Without disclosing names of political parties, Rawat further alleged that illegal migrants in the country are being helped by “some political parties” to obtain citizenship.
“There are some organisations which have amalgamated them into the system. There are others who have come in illegally who do not have citizenship, but there are some people who are trying to get them citizenship.”Bipin Rawat, Army Chief
Earlier in February, Rawat during a seminar on the northeast at DRDO Bhavan, Delhi had triggered a controversy after he alleged that the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in Assam was pushing illegal migrants in the country.
Human Rights Accusations Against Army False
In the interview, Rawat defending the Indian army stated that the accusations against the army over human rights abuses and fake encounter are false. He added that individuals making false accusations against soldiers should be held responsible as these are “attempts to malign the institution.”
When asked about media reports on fake encounters by the army, Rawat claimed that punishment has been served those who were found guilty of doing it.
“Where we felt encounters, I won’t say were fake, but could have been better conducted, we have punished people.”Bipin Rawat, Army Chief
He also highlighted that “third parties like NGOs” formed by political parties are making false claims against the army for their political gains.
(With inputs from The Times of India and IANS.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)