BJP to up the ante in Bengal over NRC

In a bid to make deeper inroads in the Assembly elections of 2021 in West Bengal, the BJP leadership has decided to raise its pitch in order to conduct National Registry of Citizens (NRC) survey in Bengal. Party sources revealed that the Bengal BJP has set up two committees to garner public support.

“The two committees named Janjagran and Jansampark will be headed by state BJP general secretary Raju Banerjee, Yuva Morcha president Debjit Sirkar and by general secretary Sayantan Basu,” said a senior state BJP leader.

He added that the party leadership has tasked Basu with the responsibility of gaining the support of the civil society for conducting NRC survey in Bengal.

Teams of BJP workers visit the homes of eminent civil society members in the state and try to convince them of the need to conduct NRC in Bengal. They will also distribute leaflets and conduct seminars on the subject.

NRC has been a bone of contention between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress (TMC). While West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has repeatedly alleged that the demand for NRC in the state was a ploy to drive out Bengalis, BJP leadership has accused her of opposing NRC as she wants to shield infiltrators for vote bank politics.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had threatened to launch a statewide agitation demanding NRC in Bengal but nothing much took place on the ground. Mamata had said that her party will oppose NRC surveys tooth and nail.

Whether the BJP is able to gain some momentum this time over the NRC issue or will it fizzles out at the initial stage, remains to be seen.