Are the Hindus who are omitted from the NRC list, infiltrators, Partha Chatterjee said (File)
The Trinamool Congress has asked the BJP to issue a clarification on the exclusion of a large number of Hindus in the final National Register of Citizen (NRC) list in Assam, ahead of party chief Amit Shah's scheduled visit to West Bengal.
Mr Shah will visit the city on October 1 and inaugurate a community Durga Puja besides addressing a seminar on NRC and citizenship amendment bill.
He has repeatedly said that the NRC exercise will be conducted across the country.
Out of the over 19 lakh people omitted from the final NRC in Assam, which was published on August 31, about 12 lakh are Hindus.
"Before projecting itself as the saviour of Hindus, BJP should first clarify why such a large number of them were omitted from the NRC list in Assam," Trinamool leader Partha Chatterjee said.
"The BJP has been speaking on the implementation of the NRC to throw out infiltrators. Then are those Hindus who were omitted from the (NRC) list, infiltrators? What will they do do now?" he added.
The omission of a large number of Hindu Bengalis from the final NRC list in BJP-ruled Assam has apparently created panic among the people and has allegedly led to six deaths in the state so far.
"It is BJP which is responsible for the deaths of so many innocent people in Bengal. Those who survive by dividing Hindus and Muslims have now started targeting Hindus and Bengalis," senior TMC leader and minister Firhad Hakim said.
The Trinamool is projecting the BJP as anti-Hindu, a BJP leader told PTI.
"The TMC has been opposing NRC to protect Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators who are its vote bank in West Bengal. But after many Hindus were omitted from the NRC list in Assam, it is trying to project us as anti-Hindu and an anti-refugee party which might take a toll on our prospects in Bengal," said a senior state BJP leader, who did not wish to be named.
"We are hopeful that Shah would assuage all fears and misconceptions on NRC," the BJP leader said.
BJP Bengal president Dilip Ghosh blamed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party, the Trinamool for creating panic over NRC in Bengal to instill fear among the Hindus.
"Only TMC will be responsible for the deaths over NRC in the state. If there is one more death over NRC panic, an FIR should be lodged against Mamata Banerjee and TMC. We (BJP) have clearly said that all Hindus who have come from other countries will be granted citizenship under Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and then NRC will be implemented to weed out the infiltrators," state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said.