According to official figures, 1,27,000 applications for domicile certificates were submitted to authorities concerned in Kishanganj district between July 1 and 6.The four districts of Seemanchal region have registered about 16 per cent growth in Muslim population between 1951 and 2011, as per census. The average Muslim population in the four districts stands at 47 per cent.The issue has stirred debate not only in poll-bound Bihar but also in neighbouring West Bengal, where Mamata Banerjee’s government is already grappling with Aadhaar card deactivation concerns. Many political observers have questioned whether this is an attempt by Opposition parties and the Left to position Aadhaar as proof of citizenship.“Given the one person-one Aadhaar rule, the figures have triggered concerns over possible duplication or issuance to non-citizens. Seemanchal’s geographical location adds sensitivity to the issue, as the region borders West Bengal, Nepal, and is not far from Bangladesh,” said a senior journalist Pramod Kumar, who earlier worked in Purnea.The Opposition, including RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, called for a Bihar bandh on July 9 to protest the EC’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, which excludes Aadhaar as valid proof for voter verification.
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