Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has called upon the Bengali speaking population of Assam to rise up against the Central Government’s nefarious designs to throw them out of the north-eastern State. She was speaking against the alleged victimization of Bengalis in the name of preparing the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Assuring all cooperation if they hit the streets against the NRC regime she said has told a Bengali newspaper that the Bengali-speaking people of Assam will have to generate a countrywide public opinion against the harassment they are being subjected to in the name of NRC. Indicating that NRC would become one of the counter electoral issues for the TrinamHit the streets against NRC: Didi tells Assam Bengalis

TMC in Bengal particularly in places (read border districts) where the BJP has been trying to rouse passion against alleged “infiltration from Bangladesh,” Banerjee said “the Bengalis of Assam should come out in the open. We will remain by their side. Take out rallies and tell the people of the country what ordeal you are being subjected to in the name of NRC.”

Questioning the motive behind NRC authorities’ petitioning the Supreme Court seeking reduction in the number of requisite documents to prove one’s Indian citizenship from 15 to 10 Banerjee wondered why the Bengali leaders of Assam were not taking the initiative and assured all legal help if the victims needed the same. “There is a need to strongly resist this dirty move in the Supreme Court,” she said.

Pushing lakhs of Bengalis to a political precipice in the name of NRC has to be resisted at all cost, she said showing how the already people of bordering districts of Coochbehar and Alipurduar were protesting the move.

The Chief Minister had earlier sent a delegation of MPs and a senior Minister from Bengal to Silchar in Assam to understand the problem of the victims of an alleged faulty NRC regime. However the Assam Government refused to let them into Assam and they were forced to return from Silchar Airport.

Subsequently FIRs were lodged against the leaders and the Chief Minister. “I tried to send my fact-finding team there but they were not only prevented from entering that State but also they wrongly lodged FIRs against me,” Banerjee said adding she would leave no stone unturned and continue to fight for the Bengali-speaking population of Assam.