Mamata trying to create unrest in Assam, Bengal: WB BJP chief

Condemning West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's "civil war" remark over publication of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, West Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh today alleged that she was trying to create unrest in both the states.

Banerjee was "unnecessarily instigating" the people of Assam and Bengal, who, otherwise, have been living in peace, he claimed.

A day after the complete draft of NRC was released in Assam, Banerjee, who is also the Trinamool Congress chief, said the list could lead to "bloodbath" and "civil war-like situation" in the country.

The draft, released on July 30, included the names of 2.89 crore people out of the 3.29 applicants. Over 40 lakh applicants did not make it to the citizenship register.

The CM today sent a TMC delegation to assess the situation in Assam's Cachar district in the wake of NRC publication, but the authorities there stopped the team from leaving the Silchar airport, citing prohibitory orders, under Sec 144 CrPc, in the region.

Ghosh said the Trinamool Congress politicised the NRC issue by sending the TMC delegation to Assam.

"She (Mamata) sent delegation of her party leaders in an attempt to create unrest in Assam. We deplore this move and have duly informed the Governor about it," he told reporters outside Raj Bhavan.

The Centre had already tabled a bill in Parliament to provide to citizenship to minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, but there, too, the TMC, along with the Congress and the CPI(M), prevented BJP president Amit Shah from speaking on the issue, Ghosh stated.

Talking about the TMC allegations of maltreatment at Silchar airport today, the state BJP president said, "The footage from the airport shows that no one was mistreated. Mostly female police officers, deployed at the airport, were seen stopping the members from entering the state."
The ruling party members were trying to malign the Assam government for no reason, Ghosh said
Alleging that members of the delegation also resorted to "theatrics", he said, "Some of them were seen playing kabaddi with police. The TMC team should be served tea at the airport and deported back to Kolkata at the earliest."
Asked if an NRC exercise would begin in West Bengal, Ghosh said, "We are not taking any initiative immediately. We will undertake it at an appropriate time."