Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday announced that the BJP government will implement the Assam-like National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state.

"We will implement the NRC in Haryana as well," Khattar told reporters in Panchkula after meeting retired Judge SS Bhalla, who is going to review the NRC process in Assam.

Khattar's announcement got support from unlikely quarters with former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda saying that it is the responsibility of the government to identify foreigners. 

"What the Chief Minister has said is the law, foreigners have to leave, it is the responsibility of the government to identify them," Hooda said in Delhi when he was asked to comment on Khattar's statement. 

Earlier, Khattar met Bhalla, as a part of the five-day-long 'Maha Jan Sampark Abhiyan' by the BJP in which leaders from the party meet the prominent members of the society to discuss various issues.

"The state government is working on a fast pace on family identity card and its data would also be used in the National Register of Citizens (NRC)," the Chief Minister said.

Khattar, who is seeking his second term as Haryana Chief Minister, also appreciated the efforts of the retired justice who even after retirement, is going on a tour of Assam to study the NRC data.

Khattar said that in a way, it would also be better for the government as Bhalla's services would be useful for the NRC to be established in the state.

Speaking about the 'Maha Jan Sampark Abhiyan', Khattar said, "The party is running a five-day Maha Jan Sampark Abhiyan at the national level, in the same sequence today, I met the dignitaries in Panchkula. Apart from former chairman, Haryana State Human Rights Commission, Justice (Retd) HS Bhalla, I also met former Admiral Mr J.S. Lamba, Sector-6, MCD and Lt. Gen. (retired), Baljit Singh Jaiswal and discussed national and international news with them."

The Chief Minister said that the aim of such campaigns is to reach out to people about the work done by the present state government during the last five years.

The NRC is a register maintained by the Government of India containing names and certain relevant information for identification of all genuine Indian citizens.

In Assam, a final list of the NRC was published on August 31. More than 19 lakh people were excluded. However, those left out can still apply to the designated Foreigners' Tribunals within 120 days for their cases to be heard.

(With ANI inputs)