Guwahati, March 24: Congress MLAs from Barak Valley called on chief minister Tarun Gogoi today and expressed their concern over "confusion" created by the definition of Assamese and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) update.

The eight-member group of Barak Valley MLAs met the chief minister at his office chamber in the Assembly and told him that the state government should announce in no uncertain terms that the definition of Assamese would have no bearing on the NRC update as both are separate issues.

The group comprised excise minister Ajit Singh, Gautam Roy, Kripanath Mallah, Monilal Gowala, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, Siddeque Ahmed, Jamaluddin Ahmed and Rajdeep Goala.

They also requested the chief minister to clarify that the NRC would be updated by taking 1971 electoral roll as the base year so as to dispel any misgivings among the people.

The definition is required to provide constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to the Assamese people under clause 6 of the Assam Accord while the NRC will be updated by including names of all genuine Indian citizens in it in a bid to permanently settle the problem of illegal migration from Bangladesh.

The Barak Valley MLAs were of the view that the recent statement made by AASU and 25 other organisations that all people whose names, irrespective of caste, community or religion, were included in the 1951 NRC are Assamese had created confusion in the minds of the people.

According to them, the statement has created apprehension among a section of people since the copies of the 1951 NRC were not available in certain areas of the state.

After meeting the chief minister, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha told reporters that they have urged the chief minister to clear the air by stating that March 24, 1971, is the cut-off date for inclusion of names in the NRC.

He said the controversy over definition of Assamese was unnecessary as all genuine Indian citizens living in Assam are Assamese.

Today, a delegation of All Assam Minority Students' Union (AAMSU) led by its president Abdur Rahim Ahmed met Speaker Pranab Kumar Gogoi and submitted a memorandum to him stating their views on the definition of Assamese.

The Speaker told The Telegraph that he has told the delegation that the definition would have to be fixed through a give-and-take policy and also urged them not to be rigid.

According to AAMSU, all those who have come to Assam before March 24, 1971, are Assamese.