KOLKATA: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday discussed issues related to the National Register of Citizenship (NRC), inter-state Maoist activities and the issue of entry of people from other states to ‘’create disturbances’’ in West Bengal.
At the 20-minute-long meeting held after the 23rd Eastern Zonal Council meeting here on Monday, the West Bengal Chief Minister pressed on the issue of involvement of residents of Bihar and Jharkhand in violent incidents in the state, sources privy to the discussion said.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led state government has been accusing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cadres from neighbouring states of fomenting trouble, including communal incidents, in the state.
A financial package demanded by West Bengal government and the state’s proposal to change its name were also discussed in the meeting, sources said.
Earlier, Rajnath had asked representatives of the Northeastern states to collect biometrics of ‘illegally-settled’ Rohingya refugees so that the issue of their deportation could be taken up through diplomatic channels with Myanmar.
“The states have been told to identify the Rohingyas, collect their biometrics and send reports to the Centre after which the issue would be taken up through diplomatic channels with Myanmar,” he said.
The move comes after the Supreme Court asked the Centre to ensure that illegal immigrants are not issued unique identification cards. The West Bengal unit of the BJP had attacked the state government for allowing Rohingya refugees to settle in the South 24 Parganas district.Rajnath reached Kolkata on Sunday evening where state BJP leaders met him.