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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has cautioned the people of state against divisive politics and said it will not work here . Bengal is known for its hospitality and people of different faiths in the state practice their respective religions.
But they assemble to celebrate a festival like Durga Puja, which unifies people of different faiths, she said.
“Everyone is welcome to our state and enjoy the hospitality of our people. But please don’t profess any divisive politics … It will not work in Bengal,” she said inaugurating a community puja in south Kolkata.
Please don’t spread the religion of divisive politics. Please don’t create a rift among people. Bengal is known to respect leaders of different faiths for ages. This can never be spoilt,” she said. Banerjee’s comments follow Shah’s speech at a BJP programme.
“People of Bengal are being misled about the NRC … I assure all Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain refugees that they won’t have to leave the country … They will get Indian citizenship and enjoy all the rights of an Indian national when the Citizenship Amendment Bill is passed in Parliament,” said Shah in his speech.
Shah, also BJP president, had declared that the party will “throw out all infiltrators one by one” by enforcing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) while simultaneously clarifying that no Hindu, Sikh, Jain or Buddhist need to worry because they will be accorded Indian citizenship beforehand with the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
Addressing a BJP meeting on NRC in Kolkata, Shah, who is also the Union Home Minister, made a distinction between Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhists whom he classified as “refugees” while presumably consigning Muslims to the “infiltrator” status and threatening them with eviction.
“Mamata Didi (West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee) says she will not allow the NRC. I am saying that we will not allow a single infiltrator to live in India. No refugee will be asked to leave and no infiltrator will be allowed to stay,” said Shah while citing the abrogation of Article 370 by way of proof that the BJP does what it says.
