People scared to vote for BJP in West Bengal due to NRC, says Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

After the results of Assembly by-polls of West Bengal were out, Congress Parliamentary party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday said people of Bengal were scared to vote for the BJP because they thought that BJP is planning to implement NRC in the state.

"People were scared due to NRC. BJP could not garner votes this time because people were terrified that they will implement NRC in the state. So, TMC got an advantage in the assembly bypolls," Chowdhury told ANI.

West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress has won all three assembly bypolls, bagging Kaliaganj, Kharagpur-Sadar and Karimpur.

After the poll results were announced, Banerjee said, "Arrogance of the BJP has been rejected by the people. They have been threatening to bring NRC, drive citizens away and usurp their rights. We are all citizens. Everyone has their rights. They have been living in this country for a long time."

On November 20, Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Rajya Sabha said that all citizens of India irrespective of religion will figure in the NRC list, adding that NRC is different from the Citizenship Amendment Bill.

"The process of NRC will be carried out across the country. No one, irrespective of religion should be worried, it is just a process to get everyone under the NRC," he said.

He said that Citizenship Amendment Bill is needed so that Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Christian, Parsi refugees who are being discriminated on basis of religion in Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghanistan, get Indian citizenship.