The government in Assam is mulling to issue identity cards to Indian daily wage labourers on demand to safeguard them against harassment in the name of detection of illegal Bangladeshi migrants in the state.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday said that in response to demands from many organisations on behalf of these unorganised workers, the state government will consider issuing identity cards to these workers.
He said these identity cards, which are not supposed to considered as citizens identity card, will be given to only genuine India citizens so that it becomes easier to detect illegal Bangladeshi migrants staying in the state and earning their living as daily wage labourers.
Gogoi said the government wanted to issue these identity cards in the wake of widespread allegations that genuine Indian daily wage workers were being harassed by police and various other quarters in the name of detection of illegal Bangladeshi migrants as well in operation against insurgents.
He said if made operational, such identity cards would be issued by block level officers in rural areas and assigned executive officers in the administration in urban areas. Such an identity card will have details about the permanent address, age, father's name etc of the card holder.
The All Assam Students Union, however, has expressed its concern over the state government's plan to issue identity cards to daily wage labourers.
AASU adviser Dr Samujjal Bhattacharrya said, "We suspect that it is another ploy of the Congress government and the party to protect illegal Bangladeshi migrants in lure of their votes. He said no such identity cards should be issued when the process of updating the National Register of Citizens was on in the state as per the Assam Accord of 1985."
