Assam police register FIR against Mamata for NRC remarks

Bijay Sankar Bora

Tribune News Service

Guwahati, January 4

There have been sharp reactions in Assam to the reported comment made by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that ongoing process of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam was meant to drive out Bengalis staying in Assam while addressing a public meeting at Birbhum in West Bengal on Wednesday.

The Assam Police registered an FIR against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on complaints over her allegation that the Centre was conspiring to drive Bengalis out of Assam with the state's National Register of Citizens (NRC) that is being updated.

The police FIR sparked an angry response from the Trinamool Congress(TMC) which said such an action would not stop her from fighting for the cause of the Bengalis while the BJP accused Banerjee of trying to make an "issue out of an non-issue" for reaping political dividends.

A local organisation called Krishak Shramik Kalyan Parishad, has filed an FIR at Dispur police station here against Mamata Banerjee for her alleged inflammatory remarks regarding the NRC updating process in Assam where effigies of the West Bengal CM were burnt in many places by several organisations.

The ruling BJP in Assam has accused Mamata Banerjee of trying to play divisive politics over NRC updating process and thereby exposed her total lack of knowledge about the entire process which is meant for only to segregate illegal foreigners residing in Assam.

The general secretary of All Assam Students’ Union Lurin Jyoti Gogoi said the comment made by the West Bengal CM smacked of design to create communal divide in Assam and amounted to contempt of Supreme Court which is supervising the NRC updating process in Assam.

The AASU leader hoped that the apex court would act against Banerjee over such unwarranted comment on a matter under its constant supervision.

Meanwhile, the state president of the ruling BJP in Assam, Ranjeet Dass, today condemned Mamata Banerjee’s inflammatory and provocative statement on updated NRC in Assam, warning her against playing divisive politics with the emotions of the people of the state.

Dass said, “We have observed her comment with concern. She has exposed her total lack of understanding of the updating process of NRC for Assam.”

“Her eyes are set on West Bengal Assembly elections. Alarmed at BJP’s inroads into that state and her eroding base, she is seeking to play with the emotions of the people,” he added. Dass warned Banarjee against “playing politics on linguistic lines”.

Dass pointed that since the NRC updating process was under Supreme Court’s direct supervision, the apex court could itself take case against Banerjee.  

The first part draft of the updated NRC was published at midnight of December 31 last, which included the names of 1.90 crore Indian citizens in Assam out of total 3.29 crore applicants. The rest of the applications are under various stages of verification and a second draft would be published shortly. — With agency inputs