NRC will not impact ties with Bangladesh, says India

India has assured Bangladesh that the process for updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for Assam would not have any adverse impact on the bilateral relations between the two nations.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said that New Delhi had been in touch with Dhaka before and after the publication of the draft NRC for Assam.

"We have been in close touch with the Bangladesh Government, both prior to and following the issuance of the draft NRC. We have assured them that it is still a draft list prepared under orders of Supreme Court and the process of identification of citizens of Assam is still underway," Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said.

The issue of 40 lakh people, mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims, of Assam being left out of the draft NRC had triggered a political controversy.

The BJP-led government at the Centre as well as in the Northeastern state were criticised by the Opposition parties for trying to reap the political dividend out of it.

Since illegal migration from Bangladesh to India has been a major issue in Assam, the publication of the NRC had fuelled speculation whether the people, who would be left out of the final roll of citizens, would be deported to the neighbouring country.

New Delhi on Thursday sought to allay the concerns of Dhaka.

"The Bangladesh Government has taken the view that the ongoing process is an internal matter of India. We do not apprehend any impact on our relationship with Bangladesh which is excellent," the MEA spokesperson added.