West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP-led Assam government of attempting to impose the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Bengal, a state where it has no authority.
She pointed to a recent NRC notice issued by the Assam Foreigner’s Tribunal to Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a villager from Cooch Behar, saying, “This is a systematic assault on democracy. It proves that the BJP government in Assam is trying to enforce NRC in Bengal, where it has no jurisdiction.”
Mamata had previously criticized the ECI’s special revision of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, alleging it was a covert attempt to implement NRC and disenfranchise voters. She has also warned that Bengal, which will vote next year, is likely the BJP’s next target.
Brajabasi, from Sadiyaler Kuti in Cooch Behar, received a notice from the Kamrup Foreigner’s Tribunal in Assam accusing him of illegally entering Assam between 1966 and 1971. He appeared before the Kamrup court and was asked to provide voters’ lists showing his late father was registered in elections from 1966 until his death in 2008.
Despite presenting valid identification, Mamata said Brajabasi is facing harassment on baseless suspicions of being an illegal migrant. She called for opposition parties to unite against what she described as the BJP government’s divisive and oppressive push to implement the NRC nationwide.
