KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday made it clear that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be an issue that she will use against BJP in the remaining four phases of Assembly elections in the state.
It comes in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim in Kalimpong on Tuesday that there was no plan to implement NRC as of now.
The hills of Bengal go to polls in the fifth phase and the huge Gorkha population of the region is apprehensive that NRC can go against them. Calling Shah’s assurance a lie, Mamata the cited the example of Assam, where people have been sent to detention camps over the issue of citizenship.
“The moment election ended in Assam (earlier this month), the BJP government started issuing notices asking people, who were left out of the list of citizens, why they should not be evicted by implementing the NRC.
"They are issuing detention camp notices. Do not trust them. BJP should be ousted through NRC, NPR and only then, people will be able to stay in the country,’’ she said at a rally in Jalpaiguri.
Mamata’s comments are aimed at refugee voters who migrated from Bangladesh in large numbers. S he also lashed out at BJP for “bringing outsiders” in the name of elections and spreading Covid-19 in West Bengal.
A day earlier, Shah had said there was no plan to implement NRC in the region at the moment and even if it is, it would have no impact on Gorkhas.
This community constitutes a considerable chunk of the electorate in the hills.
Visiting kin of victims
Mamata went to Sitalkuchi, after the Election Commission’s 72-hour ban barring political leaders from visiting Cooch Behar district ended. She met family members of the four persons killed in firing by CISF personnel on April 10.
She also met relatives of a first-time voter, who was shot dead in a separate incident. BJP has claimed he was their supporter and killed by TMC workers.
Without naming the Election Commission, which barred her from campaigning for 24 hours, Mamata said: “They did not allow me to visit Sitalkuchi for three days. I was not allowed to address rallies for 24 hours. The people of Bengal have witnessed this injustice to me and they will give a befitting reply to it in this election.’’
The Trinamool Congress chief reiterated that after coming to power in West Bengal, her government will conduct a probe into the killing of the four persons and also the fifth person, who the BJP claims to be their supporter.