CM warns of conspiracy to remove names from rolls, hand NRC notices
Times of India | 8 August 2025
12 Jhargram/Kolkata: CM Mamata Banerjee on Thursday warned people of Bengal "not to fill up forms without knowing its contents thoroughly" and claimed it was a plan by central govt "to remove names from the voter list and hand over NRC notices before pushing them to Bangladesh".
Inaugurating the four-day long celebrations of International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples in Jhargram, Banerjee lashed out at the "conspiracy by the double-engine govt". "They will verify names on the voters' list. People must cross-check if their names are on the list.
"In a veiled attack on BJP, the CM said: "These people will come before elections and ask for votes by giving money. Whose money is that?" "(You can) give everything, but do not give up your own address, your own language, your own existence. Without existence, nothing will remain," she added.
Banerjee reiterated that the state will not accept the Election Commission's directives to suspend two WBCS officers. "Two WBCS officers were suspended even though elections have not been declared. Under which rule? We all know that ECI can take action from the day polls are declared. Dr Ambedkar did not write this Constitution which they are following. Do they think they can intimidate officers using NRC through the back door? The state govt was, is and will continue to stand by govt employees," the CM said.
Banerjee wondered what hope Independence Day would hold out this year when attempts were being made to "snatch away independence". "This Aug 15 we should ask if we are really independent or not. Our citizenship must not be snatched away. There should be no racial discrimination or division among us," she said. Banerjee said those born before 2002 were being asked to show their parents' birth certificates. "How many people have the birth certificates of their parents? Those who are asking for it, do they have their parents' birth certificates?" she asked.
Banerjee also questioned how Centre could brand someone a foreigner. "Those who came after the Indo-Bangladesh war legally, they are Indian citizens. As Indian citizens, why will they be sent to Bangladesh? Action should be taken against infiltrators. The Assam govt is sending notices to people of Cooch Behar and Alipurduar. They are labelling Matuas as foreigners and infiltrators," she said, urging "people to stand up against this".
Once again, Banerjee criticised the harassment of Bengalis in other states. "Language is our dignity, our pride. And they say Bengali language doesn't exist. We have facilitated the return of more than 2,000 workers. They were kept in detention camps in Gurgaon. Similar persecution is going on in Rajasthan and Assam. A tribal girl from Malda was pushed back to Bangladesh from Madhya Pradesh. Dalits are being tortured," she said.
The CM reminded her audience how Bengali language was mentioned in currency notes during the British Raj. "You will find Bengali on a Rs 10 note from 1912. And these useless people are saying in 2025 that there is no such language. I call for protests against this humiliation," she said.
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