E-Paper
Beware of BJP’s NRC, NPR agenda, Mamata Banerjee tells coal belt voters
Although no senior leader of the BJP has made any comment on National Population Register and the National Register of Citizens in recent days, Mamata Banejee said that the saffron party plans to enforce the NRC and NPR.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will try to divide people in West Bengal by enforcing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR), chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged at an administrative programme in West Burdwan district on Tuesday afternoon.
“They (BJP) is saying NRC and NPR will be enforced. They will ask for birth certificates of your grandfather so that your citizenship can be proved. I do not know when my mother was born. This is how things were in the past. Births took place at homes. People did not get certificates. Whoever lives in Bengal is a Bengali, a citizen,” Banerjee said at the programme held in Raniganj.
“I will not allow Bengal to turn into Gujarat. I have respect for Gujarat and Gandhi but Bengal will remain Bengal. I will do or die in the process,” she added.
Since the Asansol-Raniganj zone is home to many industries, including Central public sector undertakings, and coalmines owned by the Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) where thousands of Hindi-speaking people work, Banerjee spoke in Hindi several times during her speech.
Although the Centre has not announced any decision to privatize ECL, Banerjee said, “They will privatize ECL. Where will all these workers go? Where will the officers go? They (the Centre) will sell the railways and even the Chittaranjan Locomotive Works that I once saved (as Union minister),” said Banerjee.
Incidentally, Union railway minister Piyush Goyal announced last year that the Indian Railways manufactured a high speed locomotive at Chittaranjan Locomotive Works and it achieved a top speed of 180 kmph.
Reacting to Banerjee’s statement, Bengal BJP vice -president Ritesh Tiwari said, “These days her strategy is to tell lies and then repeat those lies over and over again. This is followed by intimidating people and finally, killings. No senior leader of the BJP has made any comment on NPR and NRC in recent days.”
“She raised the issue because Raniganj has a large Muslim population. Why didn’t she say these at her West Midnapore rally on Monday? The BJP has already secured 40 % votes in the state. She is scared because we are coming to power,” Tiwari added.
Banerjee on Tuesday distributed monetary compensation and land deeds to a few thousand people who vacated their land and property for construction of the Andal airport and adjoining township. The government also announced that it had increased its stake in the joint venture project from 27 % to around 48 % to ensure its success.
