Police case against Mamata Banerjee for 'civil war, bloodbath' remark over NRC issue
New Delhi, Aug 1 (IBNS): A police complaint has been filed against Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for commenting that the exclusion of four million people from the draft of Assam's National Register of Citizens (NRC) would lead to "civil war" and "bloodbath", media reports said.
Mamata has been accused of inciting "hate and tension" among communities in the complaint filed by activists of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s youth wing in Assam's Dibrugarh.
While speaking at a conclave in New Delhi on Tuesday, the Bengal Chief Minister said as she has been quoted by NDTV: "The NRC is being done with a political motive. We will not let this happen. They (BJP) are trying to divide the people. The situation cannot be tolerated. There will be a civil war, blood bath in the country."
Mamata said the entire move was made by the BJP-led central government for gaining votes.
"I don't want to see my motherland divided," she said.
"If Bengalis say Biharis can't stay in Bengal, South Indian people say North Indians can't stay there and North Indians say South Indians can't stay here. What will be state of this country, because we are together. Our country is a family," she added.
Mamata said: "Only to win polls people can't be victimised. Don't you think people whose name isn't in list will lose a part of their identity?"
"Please understand India-Pakistan-Bangladesh were one before partition. Whoever came from Bangladesh to India till March 1971 is Indian citizen."
BJP national president Amit Shah has hit back at Mamata, accusing her of playing "vote bank politics".
Shah has been quoted by NDTV, "I heard the whole speech and I am stunned by it."
"This step has been taken for protecting the rights of the people of India. Every party should make their stand clear where rights of Indians are important or not."
The NRC issue has triggered a political battle in the nation with both the BJP and the opposition parties exchanging barbs.
On Tuesday, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day while the opposition staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha as the NRC issue in Assam rocked Parliament, triggering a huge ruckus.
In course of the verbal war, Shah launched a counter attack against the Congress, saying that the very basis of the exercise and NRC is the Assam Accord signed by late Congress prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
"This was a move by your prime minister only," Shah told the upper house targeting the Opposition and Congress over the issue.
Amid noisy protests, Shah said "you [Congress and opposition] did not have the courage to implement it [Assam Accord]. We have the courage to do it."
The Assam Accord (1985) was signed between the Government of India led by Rajiv Gandhi and the leaders of the Assam Movement in New Delhi on 15 August 1985 after a six-year agitation demanding identification and deportation of illegal immigrants by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU).
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