A day after West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee's scathing campaign against Assam NRC final draft, Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that the West Bengal chief minister has no knowledge on National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the TMC chief has been indulging only politics over the sensitive and crucial issue.
"Mamata Banerjee has no knowledge on NRC. It is a legal matter and Assam NRC update was carried out at Supreme Court's order. She has interest to know about Assam NRC draft. She is only indulging politics", said Sarma.
Sarma alleged that West Bengal government did not provide any originality documents (legacy data related) of Bengali speaking people presently resides in Assam to the Assam NRC authority and hence some people remains left out from the NRC final draft.
"Now Banerjee makes hue and cry, leads Assam NRC final draft opposition drive. This is not fair", added Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The Bengal chief minister lashed out at Centre on Monday over the draft NRC, which she claimed was a plan to evict Bengalis and Biharis from Assam.
"We are worried because people are being made refugees in their own country. It's a plan to throw out Bengali speaking people and Biharis. Consequences will be felt in our state also," Banerjee said.
Expressing concern over the exclusion of 40 lakh names in the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) draft, Banerjee said those "Indian citizens have become refugees" in their own land.
On day two, the TMC led a anti Assam NRC final draft campaign in Parliament. In front of Mahatma Gandhi statue outside the Parliament, TMC MPs led an anti Assam NRC dharna . The TMC was accompanied by AAP, SP and NCP.
The West Bengal chief minister is scheduled to meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday evening over the Assam NRC final draft.
TMC she would dispatch a team of its MPs to Assam on Wednesday. The TMC team would visit some sensitive place in the state.
At national level too, BJP launched a counter attack to TMC's anti Assam NRC draft. "Mamata Banerjee is unnecessarily making the waters muddy. The Assam government is no targeting bonafide citizens of the country. They are trying to identify the illegal immigrants. The Bengal chief minister knows she is on a sticky wicket in her own state. Therefore, she is raising this communal Bengali-Bihari issue," said BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha.
(Featured Image – DNA India)
