Hajela:Main villain for BJP

Prateek Hajela, the Chief Coordinator of the NRC has emergedas the main villain for the BJP as a public narrative have been set up by theparty in power that the NRC had failed in Assam and it is filled upBangladeshis.

BJP General Secretary and MP Dilip Saikia openly vented hisanger and frustration on Hajela while others like Chandan Bhattacharrya ofAssam Sachetan Manch found him as the stumbling block for the NRCre-verification.

But the AASU and AASMU, on the other hand, welcomed the stand taken by Hajela and said that effort to delay the NRC was saved by the Supreme Court and Mr. Hajela.

Meanwhile, within NRC offices across the state, there is a sense of jubilation swept the 40,000 employees who had been working under adverse circumstances for four years to upgrade the NRC.

"The general people do not know that it has come to boiling point. Every one of the 40,000 employees wanted this burden to end on July 31. Had it been pushed to reverification, the majority would have revolted and many would have resigned" said a senior functionary of the NRC.

"Luckily the Supreme Court saved the day and must appreciate the courage of Prateek Hajela, who despite being an IAS officer did not succumb to the power that is and stood by his stand that re-verification was not needed. This is not easy. His entire professional career is at stake and his stand has angered both Centre and State as their entire plan had gone awry" said the source.

The NRC will now be released on August 31, 2019, instead of July 31 as the Supreme Court accepted the Hajela's contention of one-month extension while summarily rejecting the re-verification plea submitted by the Centre and the State.