Union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said the BJP, if voted to power, will introduce National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Arunachal Pradesh and all the states of the Northeast on priority to ensure that the rights of the indigenous people of the region are protected.

“We will try to implement NRC in all the eight states of the Northeast and that will in turn ensure full constitutional protection to the indigenous people. Like in Assam, only the bona-fide citizens would be registered under the NRC and this will give surety that the no illegal immigrants enter the region,” Rijiju, who was addressing a news conference at the state BJP office here, said.

The minister said NRC will guarantee that Arunachal and the Northeast has full protection and there will be no fear or apprehension among the people in terms of illegal migrants entering the region.

The NRC is a register containing names of all genuine Indian citizens. Its purpose is to identify illegal migrants who entered Indian territories and to determine the citizenship of the applicants who have applied for inclusion of their names in the updated NRC thereafter making the states immigrant-free.

Speaking on security, Rijiju said the BJP would have zero tolerance on terrorism and insurgency and it would give a befitting reply to all the ones who try to hinder the peace and progress of the country and region.

“We will also try to pacify those misguided youths who have picked up arms and bring them back to the mainstream,” Rijiju said.

Commenting on the inclusion of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, in the BJP’s election manifesto, the Union minister said the bill would have no impact on Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland, which are protected states.

Rijiju on March 31 said the bill would never be introduced in the Northeast even if it was implemented in other states of the country.

In terms of Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya, Rijiju said “the bill would only be bought in these states after thorough consultation with the people and special provisions would also be made”.

“This is a commitment given by the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Earlier, no one used to ask the Northeast before introducing or implementing an act, however, things have changed now,” Rijiju said.

The minister also said he expects the BJP in Arunachal to win more than 50 seats in the Assembly polls.