The state BJP today said that the Union home minister Amit Shah had assured party delegation that all Hindu refugees will be accepted as country’s citizen and the head of the family would get a certificate that will be valid for the rest of the family as well. BJP MP from Bongaon Shantanu Thakur said that they have met Union home minister Amit Shah yesterday.

“Hindu refugees are staying in each state. Maximum of them belong to Matua community people. We got assurance that they will get the rights of the citizenship of India. No terms and condition would be applied on them,” he said. However he said that nobody could prevent the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in India.

“Though Shah assured us that New Citizenship Bill is all set to provide rights to Hindu refugees but illegal immigrants will be driven out from India and NRC would be implemented,” he said. New citizenship Bill is all set to provide definitions on illegal immigrants, refugees. The Bill seeks to amend a 1955 law to allow Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan apply for Indian citizenship, while keeping out Muslims.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill has been mired in controversy for leaving out only Muslims. The Bill’s introduction also assumes significance as it is likely to be the first step in implementing NRC across the country – a promise that Shah made last month. The Bill was first introduced in 2016 and sought to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955, to allow Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan apply for Indian citizenship.

It kept out Muslims. Earlier CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury accused the BJP of creating an environment of “fear and intimidation” through the NRC process. The Left leader also accused the BJP of linking the Citizenship Amendment Bill with the NRC.

“The Modi-Amit Shah duo continue to play the game of scaring people and polarising them on communal lines. Despite the fact that there are multiple identity proofs- Aadhaar, Epic, Pan etc., the scare of NRC is to intensify the environment of fear and intimidation…,” Yechury said in a tweet. Mr Yechury also said it is the “RSS fascistic ideology” that sows divisions and ruptures Indian citizenship.