NEW DELHI: The BJP tore into the Congress and the Trinamool Congress as the political slugfest over the NRC in Assam continued. While the BJP sought to link the NRC exercise with the country’s sovereignty, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, currently on a visit to Delhi, warned of global consequences of the “vote bank politics” of the ruling party.
In an article on Wednesday, Union Minister Arun Jaitley asserted that it was the government’s duty to defend the country’s borders and prevent any trespass.
Accusing Mamata and Congress president Rahul Gandhi of taking a U-turn on the issue of Bangladeshi infiltration and “compromising the sovereignty of India”, he asked: “Can India’s sovereignty be decided by such fickle minds and fragile hands?”
“Though Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi took a position in 1972 and 1985 for the deletion and deportation of foreigners, Rahul Gandhi takes a contrarian position and his party turns turtle” Jaitley wrote. Similarly, Mamata had also changed her position, he wrote, reminding the Trinamool Congress supremo of her speech in the Lok Sabha on August 4, 2005, when she stated:
“The infiltration in Bengal has become a disaster now... This is a very serious matter. I would like to know when would it be discussed in the House?”
Jaitley also referred to the Supreme Court observations in the Sarbananda Sonowal vs Union of India (2005) case that “…the silent and invidious demographic invasion of Assam may result in the loss of geo-strategically vital districts of lower Assam. The influx of these illegal migrants is turning these districts into a Muslim majority region...”
Other BJP bigwig, too, came all guns blazing to corner the Opposition, with an apparent attempt to position the saffron outfit as a custodian of national interest. “...In our country, there are some politicians who stand by them and threaten of a civil war,” BJP leader Ram Madhav said.
Mamata retorted that Bangladesh was India’s neighbour and not a terrorist country. Accusing the BJP of doing “vote bank politics”, she said, “Not every Bangladeshi is an infiltrator and this (politics over NRC) will destroy our relationship with the neighboring nation. West Bengal will be directly affected if there is violence in Assam.” Not more than one per cent of the 40 lakh people whose names have been excluded in the NRC would turn out to be infiltrators, Mamata claimed.
Noisy scenes in RS
The Rajya Sabha witnessed din over the NRC isuue again on Wednesday followed by repeated adjournments as Trinamool members came into the well of the House. Home Minister Rajnath Singh could not make a statement in the Upper House.
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar lashed out at the Opposition for stalling Rajya Sabha and accused it of “running away from debate”.
Left parties accused BJP president Amit Shah of causing “widespread apprehension” among the people on NRC issue. They also pointed out that a large number of women had been left out.