Indian citizens have become refugees in their own land: CM
Kolkata: Raising concern over the exclusion of 40 lakh Bengalis in the final draft of the Assam's National Register of Citizens (NRC) as it will be affecting Bengal and Bangladesh the most, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee slammed the Centre of doing "vote politics" that has led those Indian citizens to become "refugees in their own land".
She left for Delhi on Monday afternoon after holding a Press conference at Nabanna in connection with Assam's NRC issue. The Chief Minister will be meeting Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh during her stay there.
Banerjee, who will be visiting Assam if necessary, is sending a team comprising MPs of her party to the state where "people are being isolated".
"Names of people of both Hindu and Muslim communities have been excluded. Eviction of Bengalis and Biharis is taking place in Assam," Banerjee said adding that it is the outcome of the BJP's "divide and rule" policy to isolate the citizens.
Raising apprehension of "forceful eviction", the Chief Minister said: "There is a lot to worry as the Centre has pressed an additional force of 15 companies and at the same time all connectivity including Internet services has been snapped." In the same breath, Banerjee maintained that Bengal will be directly affected as Cooch Behar and Alipurduar districts share the border with Assam. "But we cannot behave like the Centre if any problem occurs," she added.
Holding both the Union government and Assam government responsible for the present situation, the Chief Minister added: "This is a game plan to forcefully evict humanity and human being. My question is that why the Centre had not opposed it in Court. They were silent and it shows that they were supporting the same. But we had opposed it."
"I am worried as the peace may get disturbed and it may also leave an adverse effect on the entire country. The situation would not have taken this turn if the Centre had played a true role instead of doing vote politics," Banerjee said adding that the people, whose names have been excluded are not Rohingyas and most of them have been residents of Assam for the past five to six decades.
She also raised her concern for the future of those 40 lakh people and stated: "Names of many have been excluded despite having valid documents. They have been excluded on basis of surnames."
Stating that the Centre should have taken steps for amendment of the concerned Bill for protection of the people in Assam, the Chief Minister said: "Parliament can only give protection (to the people) and it is now in session." This comes when the MPs of her party have already raised the issue in Parliament.
She also slammed the Centre for not discussing the matter with the Bengal government as Assam is its neighbouring state and maintained: "I had received a letter on March 23 in 2018 stating that 86,849 foreigners were identified. Out of them 29,663 were directed to be sent back while 41,033 went missing. Seventy-one were sent back to Bangladesh while 833 including children and women are in six correctional homes of Assam."
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress, CPI(M) and Congress condemned the Assam issue in the state Assembly. "BJP is against the people of Bengal and is trying to wage a war against the Bengalis," CPI(M) MLA Sujan Chakraborty said. The Leader of Opposition Abdul Mannan demanded a proposal to hold an all-party meeting on the issue.
