Assam NRC: why the Congress is wary of taking a strong stand

India वोट Kar | August 1, 2018

Assam NRC Situation: Why Congress is Wary of Having a Powerful Stand!!

The publication of the first draft of Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) left the Congress walking a tightrope. Tarun Gogoi, the party leader who served three terms as Assam Chief Minister, claimed the idea as his own, while the party avoided a firm position on the 40 lakh people whose names were missing from the draft.

A cautious line

An analysis noted that 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam, and more in neighbouring states, were at stake. Gogoi said there had been no demand for the NRC and that it was not part of the Assam Accord, while claiming ownership of the exercise, which is monitored by the Supreme Court. Both he and Congress president Rahul Gandhi were guarded, questioning only the process and procedures used to draft the register. With the party also trying to reshape its image through temple visits in poll-bound states, it could not be seen to antagonise any side.

The analysis traced this caution to Gogoi’s 15 years in office, which began when he took over from his mentor Hiteshwar Saikia. In 2006, seeking a second term, he rejected calls for an alliance with Badruddin Ajmal’s All India United Democratic Front, famously asking, “Who is Ajmal”. Eight years later, as his son Gaurav Gogoi prepared for his first Lok Sabha contest from Kaliabor, he warmed to Ajmal again.

Pressure from Mamata and the BJP

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took a strident stand against the NRC ahead of the 2019 general election, addressing anxieties among the large minority population in her state, which makes up more than a third of voters in some districts. The analysis argued that regional parties can take simpler positions than a national party. BJP president Amit Shah’s speech in the Rajya Sabha, in which he invoked Rajiv Gandhi and the Assam Accord, highlighted the Congress’s difficulty, while state BJP president Dilip Ghosh drew comparisons with Assam as the BJP sought to emerge as the main challenger to the Trinamool Congress.

With its organisation weakened, the analysis concluded, the Congress faces an even harder task in handling such complex issues.

What happened next

In the 2021 Assam Assembly election the BJP won 60 seats and the Congress 29, and Himanta Biswa Sarma was Chief Minister after the election. In West Bengal the same year, the Trinamool Congress won 215 seats and the BJP 77, with Mamata Banerjee remaining Chief Minister.

Originally published on 1 August 2018. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.