Ascribing political motive which will give rise to provincialism together with triggering a fear of becoming a “stateless person” following the exclusion of 19 lakh people from the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, Congress and CPI-M leadership in the state closed ranks today. While Trinamul Congress leadership expressed apprehension of Bengalis being left out of the citizens’ list, senior BJP leader, Kailash Vijayvargia welcomed the introduction of NRC in Assam and said it would also be implemented in West Bengal.

The exclusion of such a huge number of persons from the NRC will give rise to a compartmentalisation all over the country, former PCC chief, Pradip Bhattacharya said. The character of Assam where people of all castes and creeds have lived in harmony for generations will change, he felt. This is an attempt to provincialise politics and divide the people, of which the political parties in Bengal should also be on their guard, the Congress Rajya Sabha member said. Moreover, the NRC has triggered the fear of a persons becoming stateless overnight, he felt.

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“There are many Hindus who have been excluded from NRC though BJP which is instrumental in introducing the NRC swears by the welfare of the Hindu community,” Bhattacharya said. But then a person whose name does not find mention in the NRC is not to be deemed a foreigner as only a foreigners tribunal can make this declaration,” he said. “There are so many reasons for which a person may not have the relevant documents which can include his/her name in the citizens’ list,” CPI-M leader, Md Salim said.

“His/her exclusion from NRC will not only be arbitrary but with an eye to drive away the members of a particular community,” he said. NRC will also be implemented everywhere in Bengal, Mr Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP’s national general secretary in charge of the state, said today. While reacting to the implementation of NRC that has left out 1.9 million people from the list in Assam Mr Vijayvargiya told reporters at the city airport, “It will be implemented across states including Bengal.’ He also came down heavily on the Mamata Banerjee government in Bengal saying, “Her government is perturbed with Muslim appeasement politics and for this reason she has hiked the donation amounts for the clubs this year for Durga puja festivals.”

He also alleged that the Trinamul is practicing the politics of violence, killing democracy in Bengal. BJP will organise state-wide movements against this, he said. The Trinamul Congress today hit out at the BJP led government at the Centre for allegedly trying to drive out Bengalis from Assam in the name of NRC and said it will have to take the responsibility of the 19 lakh applicants who failed to make it to the final list. CM Mamata Banerjee has expressed concern over 19.07 lakh people being left out of the final NRC list and said “People have been rendered homeless in their own country”, Trinamul Congress general secretary Firhad Hakim said today.

TMC has been one of the most strident critics of the citizens’ register and had accused the BJP governments both at the Centre and in Assam of trying to drive out Bengalis from the state. “Our party supremo is very concerned about the future of the 19 lakh people who have been left out of the NRC list. What will happen to them? What is their future? The central government has to take their responsibility,” Mr Hakim said. Last year after the draft NRC list was released, the CM had gone all out to oppose it and had even sent a TMC delegation to Assam to talk to the people.“

It is a plot to drive out Bengalis from Assam. How can the government be so insensitive that on one fine morning it is declaring citizens, who have been living in Assam for last several decades, as foreigners,” the TMC leader said. The updated final NRC, which validates bonafide Indian citizens of Assam, was out on Saturday, with over 19 lakh applicants who failed to make it to the list staring at an uncertain future.