Kolkata: Accusing the BJP of creating panic over NRC, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday claimed spectre of National Register of Citizens implementation has led to six deaths in the state.
“NRC exercise will not be carried out in Bengal or anywhere else in country, it was conducted in Assam due to Assam accord. Even Bihar Chief Minister has said he won’t allow NRC in his state. If BJP is so keen on NRC why don’t they conduct the exercise in the BJP ruled Tripura, you will see Tripura Chief Minister (Biplab Deb) himself is out of the list,” she asserted.
The Assam Accord, an agreement signed in 1985 between the then Rajiv Gandhi government and the All Assam Students’ Union, had ended a six-year mass movement against immigrants alleged to have settled illegally from Bangladesh.
“Shame on the BJP for creating panic over NRC in Bengal, it has led to six deaths. Have faith in me, I will never allow the exercise in Bengal. BJP should stop spreading false rumours and canards over NRC.
“Who are they to ask for my papers? After so many years where from will I get my papers, documents might get washed away in natural calamity or it might get misplaced,” she said.
According to the state government sources, so far six people have died in several districts of Bengal with two of them allegedly committing suicide after failing to get hold of old documents and four others died after falling ill while standing in the queue with thousands of other villagers at government offices to get their documents. (PTI)
