After Centre's assurance to Bangladesh, how will it deal with 19 lakh 'non-citizens': Chidambaram

New Delhi, Oct 7: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, who is currently lodged in Tihar jail in a corruption case, on Monday asked the Centre how it will deal with 19 lakh people being declared non-citizens after assuring Bangladesh the NRC process will not affect that country.

He asked how long will the 19 lakh people left out of the NRC live with uncertainty, anxiety and denial of civic and human rights.

The former Union minister said the country is obliged to answer these questions as it celebrates Mahatma Gandhi's humanism. Asking his family to tweet on his behalf, Chidambaram said, "If NRC is a 'legal process', how will the legal process deal with the 19 lakh persons who have been declared non-citizens."

"If Bangladesh has been assured that the NRC process will not affect Bangladesh, how will the Indian state deal with the 19 lakh persons," he tweeted. "As we celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's humanism, we are obliged to answer these questions," he said. Chidambaram has been lodged in Tihar Jail since September 5 in the INX Media case.