‘Need urgent unity of Opposition parties': Mamata on Assam govt's NRC notice to Bengal resident
She posted on X, 'I am shocked and deeply disturbed to learn that the Foreigners Tribunal in Assam has issued an NRC notice to Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a Rajbanshi and resident of Dinhata in Cooch Behar for over 50 years. Despite furnishing valid identity documents, he is being harassed on suspicion of being a 'foreigner/illegal migrant'.'
Banerjee claimed, '… It is proof that the ruling BJP dispensation in Assam is attempting to implement NRC in Bengal, where it holds no power or jurisdiction. A premeditated attempt is being made to intimidate, disenfranchise, and target marginalised communities. This unconstitutional overreach is anti-people, and exposes the BJP's dangerous agenda of bulldozing democratic safeguards and erasing the identity of Bengal's people.'
She said that the alleged incident calls for 'urgent unity' among all Opposition parties against the BJP's 'divisive and oppressive machinery'.
Brajabasi claimed he never went outside the Coochbehar district and that his family has been residents of the area for five generations. The notice mentioned that he has to prove his Indian citizenship by July 15, claiming that his family entered from the Assam border in the 1970s. Brajabasi said he is afraid he will be sent to a detention camp.
Meanwhile, BJP MLA and leader Sushil Barman said, 'This is another baseless campaign of TMC. There is no truth in it. If this happened, the West Bengal government has to take responsibility for this.'
North Bengal Development Minister and Dinhata TMC MLA Udayan Guha said, 'The BJP is basically anti-Bengali. They are taking revenge on Bengalis because Bengal never voted for the BJP.
The Trinamool Congress on their official X handle posted, 'A resident of Dinhata, Cooch Behar is being hunted like a criminal by Assam's Foreigners Tribunal. Despite submitting every valid identity proof, he's being hounded and asked to cough up electoral rolls from every election between 1966 and 2008…'
Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal.
Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.
He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
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