AAP, BJP leaders lock horns over NRC in Delhi

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal here on Wednesday said if the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was implemented in the national capital, state BJP chief Manoj Tiwari would have to leave the city.

"If the NRC was implemented in Delhi, Tiwari will have to leave Delhi first," the Chief Minister said.

Kejriwal said this responding to a mediaperson's question that Tiwari had said illegal migrants were responsible for increase in crime in Delhi, while referring to a particular case.

Tiwari, Lok Sabha MP, has been demanding the NRC in Delhi, after it was published in Assam.

Reacting to the Chief Minister's remark, Tiwari said it had exposed Kejriwal's real face and alleged, he wanted to evict migrants from UP and Bihar.

Earlier this week, Tiwari had told the NRC was important as there was no record of illegal foreign migrants in the city and termed them a threat to the nation and the people.

"There's no record of illegal migrants. They commit crime and may also indulge in anti-national activities. It's a security threat to people and the country," Tiwari said.

The NRC, he said would only target people from outside the country. "Ind, from any part of the country, living in Delhi will not be affected in any form. The issue will be only for illegal foreign migrants."

Leader of opposition Vijender Gupta demanded that the Kejriwal government come out with a white paper on Bangladeshi and Rohingya "illegal immigrants".

Later in the day, AAP legislators came out attacking Tiwari. AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said Tiwari should show documents to prove he had been a Delhi resident since 1971.

"The BJP wants to bring the NRC to throw out people from Bihar and UP who come here to work. In the NRC, only those who have documents to prove that they are staying in Delhi from before 1971 would be considered Delhi residents. I want to ask Tiwari to show us proof that he has been staying in Delhi from the years before 1971 and if he can show that then let them bring the NRC for Delhi," Bharadwaj said.

He also said in the past few days, Delhi BJP leaders had started showing concern for people from UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand or Odisha. "They constitute nearly half of Delhi's population. The BJP wants to throw them out of Delhi," Bharadwaj said.

( With inputs from IANS )