1. Mamata Banerjee accuses BSF of providing separate identity cards to Bangladesh border residents.
2. She warns that accepting these cards may result in names being deleted from the NRC.
3. Banerjee alleges the revival of CAA for electoral motives.
Kolkata, Jan 29: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Border Security Force (BSF) of issuing separate identity cards to residents along the Bangladesh border, claiming these documents could lead to their names being deleted from the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
She urged people to reject these cards and alleged that the issue of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) was being revived for electoral purposes. Banerjee’s remarks followed Union Minister Shantanu Thakur’s statement that the CAA would be implemented within a week.
The Matua community, to which Thakur belongs, is expected to benefit from the CAA, and their support has been crucial for the BJP in West Bengal.
Banerjee addressed a gathering in Cooch Behar, emphasizing that she had fought against the NRC. She accused the BSF of torture and urged people not to accept separate identity cards, stating that possessing Aadhaar and ration cards was sufficient.
The CAA, passed in 2019, aims to expedite citizenship for non-Muslims entering India from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh before December 31, 2014.
Also Read: Record-breaking Visa Issuance in India by the US in 2023: 1.4 Million Visas, 75% Reduction in Wait Time
The TMC has consistently opposed the CAA, and Banerjee asserted that it would not be implemented in West Bengal.
Despite repeated extensions, the Union government has yet to finalize rules for the CAA, leading to ongoing protests.
Banerjee accused the BSF of threatening villagers ahead of the 2021 assembly elections and opposed the expansion of the BSF’s jurisdiction from 15 km to 50 km along the border.
BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya criticized Banerjee’s statements, likening them to those of a separatist and suggesting they would encourage anti-India forces. The BSF has not responded to Banerjee’s recent remarks.
