NEW DELHI: With the Congress claiming the National Register of Citizens as its legacy, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) that was banking upon the Opposition unity in Parliament is now reworking its strategy so that the issue doesn't loses steam.
Last week, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee in Delhi had sought support of all the opposition leaders to corner the Centre on the issue. She had warned that the move will lead to a "civil war and bloodbath" in Assam.
On Saturday, the Congress Working Committee agreed upon that the party should own up the NRC as 80 per cent of its work was done by them. Some party leaders argued that the Congress should refrain from towing an anti-NRC line of the TMC.
Mamata continued her attack the BJP-RSS combine on Sunday. "It is unfortunate that the BJP-RSS are making and spreading misleading statements against the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court never asked to delete names of Indian citizens from the NRC list. There are many instances too of splitting families being put in panic because of serious anomalies. Where is democracy? Where is secularism? Why are the core values of our country being destroyed," she tweeted.
The TMC's privilege motion under Rule 267, which prescribes suspension of all business to take up a matter, were accepted in both Houses on Friday. The party was told by the presiding officers of both Houses that it will be informed about the motion on Monday.
"The explanation given by Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the Rajya Sabha is completely unacceptable. We will decide our strategy on Monday based on status of our privilege motion," said TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien.
The TMC MPs have alleged that a team of party MPs and MLAs sent to Assam to talk to the people excluded in the list were detained and roughed up at Silchar.