West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee (File photo)

KOLKATA: Buniyadpur (Dakshin Dinajpur): Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday clarified her stand on refugees following her views as reported in sections of the media and categorically denied having said that Bangladeshi immigrants were bona fide citizens of India.

“I have never said that people of Bangladesh are our citizens. There are citizens of Bangladesh as we are citizens of India. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh were one country before Partition in 1947. Many people from Pakistan and now Bangladesh came over to India after Partition. I referred to them,” Banerjee said at a public rally in Buniyadpur, Dakshin Dinajpur.

Benerjee had raised the issue while taking on BJP on the CAA-NPR-NRC issue. “Some people may come to your home and ask about your parents and their address. Don’t answer them,” the CM said, pointing to a reply on an RTI application asking for PM Modi’s citizenship certificate. “Look at the response. It says the PM is a citizen of India by birth and so the question of his having a citizenship certificate (which is citizenship by registration) does not arise. Why should others born in this country have to show documents?” she said.

