‘Never in Bengal’: Mamata Banerjee on Amit Shah’s all-India NRC pitch

Kolkata, Nov 20: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee countered Home Minister Amit Shah's push for a National Register of Citizens (NRC), similar to the one in Assam.

"There are few people, who are trying to create disturbance in the state in the name of implementation of NRC. I want to make it very clear, we will never allow NRC in Bengal," said Mamata Banerjee.

"No one can take away your citizenship and turn you into a refugee. There can be no division on the basis of religion," assured Banerjee.

The BJP should answer why 14 lakhs Hindus and Bengalis were omitted from the final NRC list in Assam, she said.

In his address in Rajya Sabha today, Amit Shah said that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) would be carried out across the country on the lines of Assam and there is no need for people of any religion to be worried about it.

The NRC does not have any provision that says certain religions will be excluded and all citizens of India irrespective of religion will figure in the NRC list, Shah also said while also stating that this is different from the Citizenship Amendment Bill.

The need for an NRC is extremely important considering the fact that there are 2 crore illegal immigrants staying in India.

Shah and Banerjee have indulged in verbal wars many a times before over the NRC issue. In fact, Shah had accused Banerjee of 'spreading lies' on NRC as she was worried about BJP's rise in Bengal.

"I was to assure the people of Bengal from all communities that nothing of this sort is going to happen. We will not allow even a single intruder inside India. We will expel all of them," Shah said while addressing a rally in Bengal last month.

The Trinamool Congress chief's comments that millions of Hindus will have to leave the state if NRC is implimented are mere lies, he said.

Banerjee had claimed that six people died in Bengal in September due to panic created by BJP on NRC.