India's West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee termed the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in neighbouring state Assam as a "fiasco", claiming that it was carried out by the BJP government in the state with an ulterior motive in mind on Sunday (Sept 1).
"The NRC fiasco has exposed all those who tried to get political mileage out of it. They have a lot to answer to the nation. This is what happens when an act is guided by an ulterior motive rather than the good of the society and the larger interest of the nation," she tweeted, adding that her sympathies lie with those who ended up suffering due to the "botched-up" process.
Over 1.9 million people were left out of the NRC list published on Saturday (Aug 31), and they are now required to prove their citizenship in order to avoid government action. The exercise, which has been going on years now, was aimed at weeding out illegal migrants who have settled down in the state over the course of decades.
The Trinamool Congress, one of the most voracious critics of the NRC, has often taken the centre to task for what it terms as a "divisive exercise". The BJP, on the other hand, has promised to implement the exercise in West Bengal if it is voted to power there.
However, the Trinamool Congress is not the only party that's unhappy with the NRC. While the BJP wants reverification in many areas of Assam, especially districts bordering Bangladesh, the Congress claims that many genuine citizens were left out of the list published on Saturday. "The BJP supports the NRC exercise, but we feel that there are certain lacunae that should have been plugged. The centre and the Assam government have requested the Supreme Court to allow 20 percent reverification in districts that border Assam and 10 percent in others," BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma told NDTV, adding that the "war" was far from over.
Tarun Gogoi, who headed the previous Congress government in Assam, said his party will not allow the BJP to "communalise" the NRC exercise. "If the BJP is crying (foul), whose responsibility is it? It's the BJP government in the state that has prepared this list."
