NRC will be rolled out in Bengal: Amit Shah
Kolkata: The NRC is "a must" for national security and will be implemented, Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared on Tuesday but made it clear that Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist refugees will be accorded Indian citizenship beforehand with the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
Addressing a BJP seminar on the National Register of Citizens, which has hitherto remained confined to Assam, the party president accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party TMC of misleading the people on the issue.
Even while seeking to address the concerns of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain refugees, Shah asserted that not one infiltrator would be allowed to live in India. "Kisi sharanarthi ko jaane nahin denge, kisi ghuspaithiye ko rahne nahin denge. (No refugee will have to go, no infiltrator will be allowed to live). We will expel each one of them," he said.
"No country in the world can run smoothly while carrying the burden of so many intruders. This has to stop. We are working towards changing Bengal. NRC is a must. We will have to implement NRC to ensure the country's safety and security," Shah said.
Reacting to the home minister's remarks, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said divisive politics would not work in West Bengal "Everyone is welcome to our state and enjoy the hospitality of our people. But please don't profess any divisive politics. It will not work in Bengal," Banerjee said.
"Please don't spread the religion of divisive politics. Please don't create a rift among people. Bengal is known to respect leaders of different faiths for ages. This can never be spoilt," Banerjee said inaugurating a community puja in south Kolkata,
In a related development, Uttar Pradesh police chief O P Singh has asked all district units to run a campaign to detect illegal Bangladeshi migrants, in instructions issued amid the political row over the National Register of Citizens update in Assam.
The police should then inform the state's home department, beginning the process of their deportation, a letter sent by the director general of police to district police chiefs said.
The letter said it has come to the notice that Bangladeshis are living illegally in the state and many of them have gone missing.
In the present scenario, to strengthen the state's internal security, it is necessary to identify and verify Bangladeshis and other foreigners residing in the state," the DGP said.
The letter in Hindi was released to the media by the DGP's office on Tuesday.
