Mamata does a U-turn on ‘civil war' remark

Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress has been accusing the BJP of trying to drive out people for political reasons.

New Delhi, Aug 1: A day after she said that there would be a 'civil war' if the Assam-like NRC list is forced on West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday denied having made such a remark.

Mamata Banerjee is leading a frontal attack on the Narendra Modi government over the draft of National Register of Citizens for Assam. Amit Shah had hit back, saying the Bengal Chief Minister was "spreading confusion" with her claims of "civil war". Accusing her of playing vote bank politics, he said, "I heard the whole speech and I am stunned by it".

"I am not BJP's servant to reply to any of their statements. I didn't say this (civil war remark), my concern is regarding the 40 lakh people whose names are not in the list (NRC). BJP is politically tensed because they know they won't come to power in 2019," Banerjee told reporters today.

Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress has been accusing the BJP of trying to drive out people for political reasons. The draft list of citizens, which leaves out 40 lakh people, has triggered huge protests inside parliament and out. While the people in Assam are apprehensive of action, opposition parties have accused the government of targetting Muslims, using illegal migrants as a pretext.

Yesterday, Mamata Banerjee met Home Minister Rajnath Singh over the release of the first National Register of Citizens (NRC) list in Assam and asked the latter for assurance that the Union Government will not harass people.

"I asked him to amend NRC Bill or bring the new bill. He has assured me they (govt) will not harass people. I also spoke to him about reports of NRC being implemented in Bengal, I told him that if such a thing happens there can be a civil war," she had said after the meeting.
Trinamool Congress has also decided to send an eight-member delegation to Assam later this week to assess the situation in the north-eastern state in the wake of the publication of the final draft of the NRC. Nearly 40 lakh people were declared 'outsiders' in the NRC draft released on Monday.