West Bengal CM alleges Assam’s BJP govt is overstepping jurisdiction, calls for Opposition unity
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused the BJP-led government in Assam of attempting to extend the controversial National Register of Citizens (NRC) into Bengal's jurisdiction, after a man from the Rajbanshi community in Cooch Behar reportedly received an NRC notice from Assam questioning his citizenship.
The issue came to light after Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP and chairman of the state Migrant Workers' Welfare Board, Samirul Islam, flagged the incident on social media. He noted that the man, Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, had been a registered voter since 1966.
In a strongly worded post on X, Banerjee wrote, “I am shocked and deeply disturbed to learn that the Foreigners Tribunal in Assam has issued an NRC notice to Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a Rajbanshi, resident of Dinhata in Cooch Behar for over 50 years. Despite furnishing valid identity documents, he is being harassed on suspicion of being a foreigner/illegal migrant.”
Calling it a “systematic assault on democracy,” she alleged that Assam’s BJP government was trying to implement NRC in Bengal without jurisdiction. “A premeditated attempt is being made to intimidate, disenfranchise, and target marginalised communities... This unconstitutional overreach is anti-people and exposes BJP’s dangerous agenda,” she said.
The TMC supremo also appealed for Opposition unity, saying, “This alarming situation calls for urgent unity among all Opposition parties to stand up against BJP’s divisive and oppressive machinery.”
Reacting sharply, West Bengal BJP state general secretary Jagannath Chattopadhyay dismissed the allegations as false. In a post on X, he said, “False narrative being peddled by @MamataOfficial regarding a notice allegedly issued by an FRO court in Assam. The Assam Cabinet has already excluded the Koch-Rajbanshi community from the NRC process and decided to withdraw all pending cases against them.” He urged Assam authorities to take action against those "igniting social disharmony in West Bengal."
