Won’t Allow A Single Person Be Driven Out Of Bengal: Mamata Banerjee

Coming out strongly in support of Bangladeshi expats settled in West Bengal and the nationwide debate on National Register Of Citizens (NRC) exercise, the state’s Chief Minister stated on Tuesday that not a single person be driven out of Bengal.

Hitting out at the union government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) the CM said that she won’t allow Bengal to become another Delhi.

“Those who have come from Bangladesh are citizens of India...they have got citizenship. You don't need to apply for citizenship again. You have been casting your votes in elections, electing PM and CM now they are saying that you are not citizens..don't believe them”, she was quoted as saying by News18.

illegal immigration from Bangladesh into West Bengal was allowed to continue unabated by successive administrations for electoral gains, many experts have said. According to a 2007 Financial Express report, when the Left was in power, the local Left leaders actively helped the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants settle in the state.

The state government has reports that illegal Bangladeshi migrants have trickled into parts of rural Bengal, including Nandigram, over the years, and settled down as sharecroppers with the help of local Left leaders. Though a majority of these immigrants became tillers, they lacked documents to prove the ownership of land.

Also Read: These Stats Tell Why West Bengal Needs NRC And Detention Centres More Than Any Other State