The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday saw repeated disruptions over the Assam NRC issue and was adjourned for the day amid uproar as the opposition objected to BJP chief Amit Shah’s remarks that they were trying to protect Bangladeshi infiltrators.

The discussion on the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam — whose draft was released on Monday — was taken up suspending the Question Hour at the request of opposition members.

Leaders of all parties briefly expressed their views on the issue. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Shah said, “The Assam Accord was signed by your Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on August 14, 1985. And he announced it from the Red Fort in his speech the next day. The spirit of the Accord was the NRC that would help identify the Bangladeshi infiltrators.”

“You did not have the courage to implement it. We had the courage and we are doing it. Everybody here (in the opposition) is concerned with the 40 lakh people. How many Bangladeshi infiltrators are there among these 40 lakh? Who do you want to protect? You want to protect the Bangladeshi infiltrators?” Shah asked.

The opposition MPs loudly objected to Shah’s remarks and rushed towards the chairman, shouting slogans against the government and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu first adjourned the House for 10 minutes. But as the House was reconvened at 1.10 pm, the opposition MPs were on their feet again. Naidu then adjourned the House for the day.

Earlier in the day, the opposition asked the government to adopt a humanitarian approach on the ‘sensitive’ issue of Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) while ensuring that no Indian was left out of it.

While the Congress demanded that the government tread cautiously on the issue, the Trinamool Congress sought complete withdrawal of the NRC, alleging that Indian citizens had also been left out of the final draft.

Initiating the discussion, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress said it was a humanitarian issue and not a matter of any particular caste, religion or region.

“We don’t want any person to be driven out of the country. This is not only about 40 lakh people, if you consider their children, families, it comes to 1-1.5 crore people,” Azad claimed, adding that the issue might have international ramifications, especially India’s relation with ‘close friend’ Bangladesh.

He observed that the onus of proving identity as a citizen of India should lie upon not just on an individual but the government as well.

Azad said the government should make legal provisions for the affected persons and there should be no harassment. The Leader of the Opposition further said even if one document was there out of the 16 required to prove identity, it should suffice, adding no party should make it a political or vote issue.

Sukhendu Sekhar Roy of the Trinamool Congress said their leader Mamata Banerjee wanted the NRC to be withdrawn.

He claimed that 40 lakh people had been rendered “country-less” which would be unique in the history of the world. He claimed Indian citizens as well as government officials had been left out of the draft NRC list.

Roy said a “misconception” was being spread among the people that the exercise was being conducted in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directive. He asserted that the right of the people to reside in any state as per the Constitution was being violated.

(With inputs from agencies)