NEW DELHI: Political temperatures continue to soar over the National Register of Citizens with West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee claiming the roster will affect ties with Bangladesh, BJP chief Amit Shah planning a rally in Kolkata and Union minister Arun Jaitley accusing the opposition of catering to "imported vote banks".

The stand-off in the Rajya Sabha over Amit Shah's reference to Rajiv Gandhi and his role in the Assam Accord was repeated on Wednesday when the opposition, led by Congress, refused to allow him to conclude his speech. Chairman Venkaiah Naidu said the opposition should make it clear whether the debate would proceed before he allowed any intervention.

Trinamool MPs then entered the well of the House and shouted slogans that led to proceedings being adjourned for the day.

Venkaiah Naidu reprimanded the opposition saying that seeing members "menacingly" storm the well on Monday had upset him and left him worried. He said the continued disruption of proceedings was "unacceptable".

Congress objected to Shah's comments on Tuesday when he had said, "NRC is the soul of the Assam Accord which the then PM Rajiv Gandhi had signed...Congress started the NRC process in 2005 but lacked the courage to throw out illegal Bangladeshi immigrants because vote-bank was important for you, not national security and rights of citizens."

On Wednesday, Congress leader Anand Sharma sought the removal of the remarks as they were an "insult" to all PMs since Rajiv Gandhi.

While BJP later said the obstruction of its chief was undemocratic behaviour and upped the ante over a rally next week in Kolkata, permission for which was granted, as the party made the NRC synonymous with its political programme of seeking deportation of illegal migrants from Bangladesh. "Leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee must realise that India's sovereignty is not a play thing. Sovereignty and citizenship are the soul of India. Imported vote banks are not," said Jaitley in his blog.

Banerjee, who is in Delhi to meet opposition leaders, said only a miniscule of persons who are not on the draft NRC were outsiders. She said it was unfair to treat Bangladesh as a terrorist state. Her emphasis clearly underlined a bid to accuse BJP of playing "communal" politics and criticising the NRC as an exercise that disadvantages Muslims the most. Though BJP laid stress on the NRC being a matter of national security, its political messaging was that the opposition is catering to vote banks.

Naidu asked, “Are we at the mercy of one party? Why have TMC people (from Assam) not spoken (when) an opportunity came to your party. Your party should have first given the opportunity to Assam members. This is not acceptable.”

