Mamata on NRC: 'I'm your paharadar, nobody can displace you from Bengal'

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday compared herself to a paharadar (security guard) and said that nobody can displace the people of West Bengal under her watch.

"I am your paharadar (security guard). So, don't worry, nobody here can bring National Register of Citizens (NRC) here," she said, while attending a Bijoya Sammilani at Siliguri in North Bengal on Monday. This is Chief Minister Banerjee's first visit to North Bengal after Lok Sabha elections, in which her party Trinamool Congress lost all the seats here earlier this year. She said that she will not allow the BJP space in the state without a fight.

"There may be NRC, Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, but nothing can displace anybody from Bengal. We are here to protect you. Every person living in this state is a citizen of India. Those who have turned 18 should immediately enroll themselves in voters' list," she added.

Banerjee reiterated there will be no NRC implementation in West Bengal. "We will not allow any division among the people of the state."

She also said that the people of this state have earned their right to be called an Indian citizen through their participation in freedom struggle and contribution to Bengal renaissance.

"This right was given to us by Raja Rammohan Roy, (Iswar Chandra) Vidyasagar, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and several patriots who sacrificed their lives fighting for the independence of the nation," she said.

It is to be noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had had often called himself a "chowkidar" guarding the country against "corruption" and dirt and even launched a 'Mai bhi Chowkidar' campaign on Twitter.

(With inputs from Indian Express)