Will never allow NRC in Bengal: Mamata Banerjee

The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Opposition Left Front, Congress criticised the NRC exercise in Assam in unison on Friday during a discussion over NRC in the West Bengal Assembly.

BJP was the only Opposition party which spoke in favour.

Addressing the House, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that her government will never allow NRC to be implemented in Bengal. She also dubbed the NRC exercise as nothing but “political vendetta” by the BJP-led government at Centre.

“ We will never allow implementation of NRC in Bengal. This is nothing but political vendetta by the BJP-led government at the Centre,” said Banerjee.

She further alleged that the demand for implementation of NRC by BJP was nothing but a ploy to divert the people’s attention from the ongoing economic crisis at the Centre.

The Chief Minister made he comments during a discussion over NRC on motion on NRC under the rule 185 at the state Assembly.

Senior CPM MLA and leader of the Left Legislative party Sujan Chakraborty said that due to the NRC exercise it was not just minority community who are in jeopardy but people from all walks of life are facing a crisis.

“ NRC has also put Bengalis in jeopardy. The people of Bengal have to rise in protest against it,” said Chakraborty.

However, leader of the BJP’s Legislative Party Manoj Tigga refuted the chief minister’s allegations arguing that if she is against NRC then why during the 1990s she launched a state wide agitation over making voter ID cards compulsory for voting.

Tigga also pointed out that the NRC exercise in Assam was taking place as per the order of the Supreme Court and BJP has no role to play in it.

BJP MLA Swadhin Kumar Sarkar alleged that it was necessary to conduct NRC in Bengal as during the tenure of the Left Front government lakhs of illegal immigrants entered the state.