Light on NRC ‘anomalies’ Himanta Biswa Sarma said no one had informed the Supreme Court about the financial anomalies

TT, 29.11.19, Guwahati: Assam cabinet minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said the Accountant-General had detected large scale anomalies in funds spent during the update of National Register of Citizens under its former state coordinator Prateek Hajela.

Sarma said he had examined the notes of the Accountant-General on all alleged corruption in updating the NRC. “We did not disclose it earlier thinking it would become an impediment to the update process. Since the update is complete, we must make it public,” he said.

Sarma said the AG had submitted his report in 16 points. “Prima facie it amounts to huge anomalies.”

Sarma said as no one had informed the Supreme Court about the financial anomalies, the court had thought that Hajela was doing fine. “We will now expose his (Hajela) character in the Assembly on December 4 or 5,” Sarma said outside the Assembly on the first day of the winter session.

Sarma claimed Hajela had “done mistakes on mistakes”.

While the Opposition legislators on Thursday staged a walkout opposing any move to scrap the final NRC published in Assam on August 31, Sarma said nobody could accept the register in its present form.

Union home minister Amit Shah recently told Parliament that there would be a nationwide NRC update, including in Assam, triggering mixed reactions in the state. While political parties like the Congress and the AIUDF have opposed scrapping the Assam NRC, the BJP and Assam Public Works, the original petitioner in the NRC case, have welcomed it.

Following a Supreme Court direction, the Assam government recently transferred Hajela to his home state of Madhya Pradesh on deputation for three years. However, criticism from the BJP against Hajela that began after publication of the final NRC, seem unlikely to go away.

Sarma on Thursday reiterated that Assam should be part of the countrywide NRC with the same cut-off date as the rest of the country. “This cut-off date may be 1951, 1961 or 1971. It can be even 1931. It should be same as the rest of the country. But it cannot be after 1971,” he said.

Asked what will happen to the Assam Accord (which sets 1971 as the cut-off date), if the cut-off is made 1951, Sarma said, “Those who had signed the Assam Accord are responsible for it. I am not. It was not signed after taking a consensus at Judges Field. Prafulla Kumar Mahanta had signed the Accord. He is responsible for that. I did not sign it. I am not responsible for it.”

He said even the Assembly had not approved the Accord so far. Hajela could not be contacted for his reaction.