Voter list in Assam not correct, 80 lakh Bangladeshi Muslims made Indian citizens: Shiladitya Dev

Former BJP MLA Shiladitya Dev has reignited the controversy surrounding Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC), alleging large-scale irregularities and inclusion of foreign nationals in the state’s voter list.

Speaking to reporters in Guwahati, Dev said, “The voter list in Assam is not correct. We have converted 80 lakh Bangladeshi Muslims or East Pakistani Muslims into Indian citizens. The NRC failed to detect them.”

He claimed that the 2019 NRC, published under Supreme Court supervision, was “deeply flawed” and did not reflect ground realities. As an example, Dev mentioned Saifur Rehman Talukdar, alleging that individuals like him were “wrongly included” despite questionable eligibility.

“The NRC in Assam is full of mistakes,” Dev said citing an example, “If names like Saifur Rehman Talukdar’s can appear on the list, it raises serious doubts about the integrity of the entire process.”

Calling for a nationwide NRC, the former MLA said the exercise in Assam should serve as a lesson for future national verification efforts. “We need a fresh NRC across India, with strict verification and transparent methodology,” he added.

Dev also criticised the Congress leadership in the state, accusing it of lacking political maturity. “The Congress president here does not understand politics — this is mere child’s play,” he remarked.

The NRC, published on August 31, 2019, excluded about 19 lakh people from over 3.3 crore applicants. Both the State Government and the Centre have since expressed dissatisfaction with its accuracy. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has also termed the list “faulty,” calling for its re-verification.