Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday reiterated her pledge to oppose any effort to roll out the National Register of Citizens in Bengal on a day Union home minister Amit Shah said the exercise would be carried out across the country.
The Bengal chief minister’s reassurance from a rally in Murshidabad is being seen as an attempt to assuage concerns in the state.
“There are some people who are creating panic among people by saying the NRC would be implemented in Bengal. Don’t listen to these leaders as they are outsiders. I will not allow anyone to drive away a single citizen from our state. It is not possible in Bengal,” Mamata told a rally at Dhomarpahar near here.
The timing of the reassurance by Mamata from Murshidabad assumes political significance because three Assembly bypolls are lined up in Bengal on November 25. Out of the three seats, Kaliyaganj in North Dinajpur and Karimpur in Nadia are on the border with Bangladesh.
“She was talking in Sagardighi, but wanted the message to travel about 190km to Kaliyaganj and 78km to Karimpur,” said a Trinamul source.
In Kaliyaganj, 74 per cent of voters are Hindus, majority of whom crossed over from Bangladesh.
“The two Assembly segments house a lot of Hindu refugees who crossed over from Bangladesh since Independence. The chief minister tried to calm their fears, particularly after around 14 lakh Hindus were excluded from the NRC list in Assam,” said a Trinamul MLA.
Trinamul insiders have also pointed out that the bypolls in Kaliyaganj and Karimpur are important for the ruling party as the BJP did well in the two seats in the last Lok Sabha election.
“The BJP secured a lead of 60,000 in Kaliyaganj and trailed by 15,000 votes in Karimpur, which was a good show by the saffron party,” said a Trinamul minister.
The Trinamul sources also said the chief minister had gone into the election mode at the rally in an area where 70 per cent of people are Muslims. The meeting, organised to distribute government benefits to people, was attended by around 20,000 people.
“It is significant because the Murshidabad district was a strong bastion of the Congress till the other day. It is now clear that people have started believing that only Mamata can fight against the BJP in Bengal,” the minister said.
Apart from the NRC, the Trinamul chief again launched a veiled attack on the AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen) led by Asaduddin Owaisi.
“A party from Hyderabad is taking money from the BJP and distributing it in Bengal. They will not fight against the BJP. It is the Trinamul Congress that will fight against the BJP. They will try to provoke you, but don’t listen to them. We are always with you,” said the chief minister.
At her administrative meeting in Berhampore, the chief minister asked the district magistrate and the police superintendent to look into how the “party from Hyderabad” was getting permission to hold indoor and outdoor meetings in Murshidabad.
“I am asking the SP, DM, IC and OCs, you have to find out how the party from Hyderabad is coming here and conducting indoor and outdoor meetings. You have to find out what they are doing at those meetings,” the chief minister said.
