Cong takes NRC dig at BJP

TT, 23, October 2019, Siliguri: Congress leaders took a dig at Raju Bista, the BJP MP of Darjeeling, and his party and accused them for being silent on the issue of exclusion of names of over one lakh Gorkhas in Assam from the final National Register of Citizens.

Sankar Malakar, a vicepresident of the PCC, and Gaurav Gogoi, a Congress MP from Assam who is also the party's observer in Bengal, were critical of the BJP and said the party was trying to create fresh uncertainty among people by advocating in favour of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB).

"A large number of people, including a significant number of Gorkhas in Assam, have failed to make it to the final NRC. But the BJP MP of Darjeeling and his colleagues from the region have not raised this issue in the Lok Sabha. These MPs and their party leaders are now trying to create further confusion among the residents of Assam and also here in Bengal by speaking of the CAB time and again," said Gogoi on Tuesday.

He was in Siliguri to attend a "Bijoya Sammilani", a traditional get-together organised after Durga Puja, by the Darjeeling district Congress.

Malakar, who is also the MLA of Matigara-Naxalbari, an Assembly constituency that is in Darjeeling district, was equally critical at Bista.

"During the election campaign, the MP and his party leaders had expressed concern about the Gorkhas but now they are silent as thousands of Gorkhas are spending days amid uncertainty. This has again proved that time and again, the BJP has simply used the sentiments of the Gorkhas to drum up support ahead of the elections," said Malakar.

Such assertions of Congress leaders, which are almost in consonance with the remarks of chief minister Mamata Banerjee -- even on Tuesday, she clarified that there would be no NRC in Bengal while being critical of the BJP -- indicates that like Trinamul, the Congress intends to revive its support in Darjeeling district and in north Bengal as a whole by stoking the NRC issue.

"Trinamul's consistent campaign against NRC has led to some changes in the political situation, particularly in those districts of Bengal which are close to Assam. Also, the exclusion of names of Gorkhas from the NRC has also led to repercussions in the hills. It is obvious that Trinamul is emphasising on the issue to rebuild its support and now the Congress too has taken the same line," said a political observer.