Mamta Banerjee triggers fresh controversy over SC monitored NRC exercise

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has triggered a fresh controversy over the Supreme Court monitored publication of the National register of Citizens.

Addressing a program hosted by the Rashtriya Bihari Samaj the West Bengal chief minister said that around two lakh Biharis did not find place in the NRC draft.

Mamata further went on to the extent of saying that several Bengalis were also excluded from the list. Majority of those left out of the draft were people who did not hail from Assam.

Besides, West Bengal Chief Minister Banerjee asked people to wait for the declaration of the final draft of the register following the disposal of claims, objections and corrections.

Banerjee maintained that such kind of treatment was never meted to Biharis in west Bengal in the past, nor will it be the case in future.

Addressing an audience of thousands from Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh living in Bengal, Mamata delivered a message of support for the section that according to unofficial estimates, numbers over 73 lakh. Mamata had earlier dubbed the count as an “anti-Bengali” exercise.

Earlier, Mamata had alleged that the NRC exercise in Assam was done with a “political motive” to divide people and warned that it would lead to bloodbath and a civil war in the country.