New Delhi: In a scathing attack on Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said if the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is implemented, the BJP leader will be the first one who will have to leave the city.
Tiwari, who has strongly rooted for the NRC in the past, has on several occasions said that it should be implemented beyond Assam and in the national capital. Last month, the BJP leader had said that the situation in Delhi had become "dangerous" due to the presence of a "large number" of illegal immigrants including Bangladeshis and Rohingyas who, he said, are found to be involved in crimes.
Kejriwal, while addressing a press conference said, “If NRC is implemented in Delhi, Manoj Tiwari will have to first leave Delhi." He was speaking at the launch of the AAP government’s new scheme under which people residing as tenants in Delhi will be able to avail power subsidy.
However, Tiwari hit back at the Delhi chief almost immediately and said, "If I am illegal, then is Kejriwal implying that every purvanchali are illegal? You want to throw them out of Delhi too? NRC identifies illegal immigrants, that is people who are from outside India and not from other parts of India. What the CM said will now be answered by the people of Delhi."
While the NRC process was driven by the Supreme Court, the exercise has seen vigorous politics around it, with the BJP and the opposition embroiled in a war of words over it. More than 19 lakh people in Assam have been excluded from the recently published final NRC, a proof of Indian citizenship – a number that amounts to 6% of the entire population of Assam.
This vast population will now have to file appeals in Assam’s foreigner tribunals, where they could be eventually branded foreigners.
Accusing the BJP of creating panic over NRC, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday claimed spectre of National Register of Citizens implementation has led to six deaths in the state.
Addressing a trade unions' meet, the TMC supremo iterated she will not allow NRC exercise in the state. "NRC exercise will not be carried out in Bengal or anywhere else in country, it was conducted in Assam due to Assam accord. "Shame on the BJP for creating panic over NRC in Bengal, it has led to six deaths. Have faith in me, I will never allow the exercise in Bengal. BJP should stop spreading false rumours and canards over NRC.
According to the state government sources, so far six people have died in several districts of Bengal with two of them allegedly committing suicide after failing to get hold ofold documents and four others died after falling ill while standing in the queue with thousands of other villagers at government offices to get their documents.
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