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NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday lashed out Centre and said the government's move to have a National Register for Citizens (NRC) in Assam would not just impact Assam, but the entire country and would also jeopardize India’s relations with neighbouring Bangladesh.

“While there may be one per cent or a miniscule number of people who are infiltrators from across the border, among the 40 lakhs who have been deregistered, there are people who have crossed over since generations back, compelled by historical reasons and they cannot be termed as infiltrators. It is an insult to Bangladesh and to India. They are our neighbours. We have a bond with them. We speak the same language, we love them as neighbours. Bangladesh is not a terrorist state, it is a legitimate country. I don’t understand why the government (Centre) is doing this,” Banerjee said.

The TMC chief said, “it is the BJP which should be called “ghuspetiya” (infiltrator) leader as they are infiltrating into citizen’s lives, telling them what to eat, what wear, what to do and also trying to control the media.”

She slammed the Centre saying the NRC list has thrown out 40,000 people and people of Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh , Gujarat etc have been affected. The chief minister said that “there are 833 people who have been put in jails in Assam who belong to her state. Of them, 28 are women and children. Where will they go,” she said, showing documents of people from Murshidabad , both Hindus and Muslims who failed to make it to NRC list.

She accused the BJP of creating unrest and reiterated that “it is the BJP which was creating a civil war like situation with the NRC move. We want peace and harmony.” She discussed the issue with several opposition leaders including Congress president Rahul Gandhi and former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi . JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda also came out in her support after a meeting with her.

Banerjee has delegated six of her MPs and two other party leaders to visit Assam to get a ground report on the victims of the draft NRC.

“The BJP is playing vote bank politics. The NRC will affect the whole world. Managing the borders is a responsibility of the Centre,” she said.

Banerjee said: “I met Rajnath Singhji, the home minister is saying there will be no harassment to people but BJP is saying they should be killed, thorwn out. A new dictionary of hate is being created by them. This is double speak.”

She further targetted the BJP and said: “they (BJP) are politically tense, nervous, as they know they will not return to office, so they are saying whatever comes to their mind.”

