Falta (WB): Amidst reports of six deaths purportedly over fears of implementation of NRC in West Bengal, senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee Monday threatened to “stop” BJP and CPI(M) from pursuing politics in South 24 Parganas district in case of recurrence of such an incident in the state.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed during the day that two persons have allegedly committed suicide after failing to get hold of old documents and four others fell ill and died while standing in queues with thousands of others at government offices in the state to get their documents for the purpose of NRC.
She had also accused BJP of creating panic over the citizens’ register.
In Assam, where the exercise was carried out as per the Assam Accord under the supervision of the Supreme Court, about 19.6 lakh people have been left out of the final NRC.
Addressing a protest rally at Falta in South 24 Parganas district where a person died Monday allegedly over panic on NRC, Banerjee, nephew of the chief minister, said “We will never allow NRC in Bengal. Even if the Centre or the union home minister say that there will be NRC in Bengal, it does not mean that we will allow it.”
For the NRC exercise the Centre will need the cooperation of the state government and the TMC government in Bengal will never provide it for such an “anti-people step,” he said.
“As long as we are alive we will never allow it (NRC)… I request the people not to pay heed to the rumours and news over NRC. Don’t panic, no one will be able to touch you,” he said.
Alleging that the saffron party and the Left have joined hands in West Bengal, he said “I want to caution CPI(M) and BJP that if there is one more death over NRC panic in the state we will stop politics by them in South 24 Parganas district,” the TMC MP said.
Banerjee claimed that in Assam the BJP had said names of only Bangladeshi Muslims will be removed from the NRC. “But now in the final NRC list we are witnessing that out of the over 19 lakh people whose names have been omitted, 12 lakhs are Hindus. This is how BJP has betrayed Hindus and Bengalis in Assam — this is its true face,” he added.
