West Bengal CM Criticizes BJP Over Assam NRC Tribunal Notice Labeling Bengal Resident as ‘Illegal Migrant’

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has strongly criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and called for unified opposition action after Assam’s Foreigners Tribunal served a National Register of Citizens (NRC) notice to Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a 50-year-old resident of Dinhata in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district. The notice accused Brajabasi, a member of the Rajbanshi community, of being an illegal migrant—an allegation that has sparked significant political outrage.

Banerjee condemned the move as a “systematic assault on democracy” and claimed it was a deliberate attempt to intimidate, disenfranchise, and target marginalized communities. She highlighted that Brajabasi has lived in West Bengal his entire life and possesses valid identification documents. In a social media post, the Chief Minister accused the BJP-led government in Assam of overstepping its jurisdiction and attempting to apply NRC measures in Bengal. She urged all Opposition parties to unite and resist what she termed BJP’s “divisive and oppressive machinery,” asserting that Bengal would not tolerate any attempt to tear apart India’s constitutional fabric.

Brajabasi, the recipient of the NRC notice, confirmed to reporters that he had never lived in Assam and questioned the need to prove his citizenship. “My parents and I have always lived in Bengal,” he said, expressing disbelief over the notice. His lawyer, Apurba Singh, revealed that the Cooch Behar Superintendent of Police (SP) office delivered the notice and questioned how this was possible if the administration supported Brajabasi’s claim of being a legitimate resident.

Udayan Guha, North Bengal Development Minister, also condemned the incident, describing it as targeted harassment. He alleged that the BJP harbors hostility towards the Rajbanshi community. “Uttam has clearly stated he never visited Assam. This notice from the Kamrup SP is harassment, pure and simple,” Guha said.

In response, local BJP leaders defended their party, questioning the role of the state administration in allowing such a notice to be served. A BJP functionary asked, “How did the notice reach him? What is the administration doing?” Former BJP State President Sukanta Majumdar dismissed the entire episode as a fabrication by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), stating that the Assam government cannot legally serve an NRC notice to a Bengal resident within Bengal’s jurisdiction.

This controversy is part of a wider trend of similar incidents involving migrant workers from West Bengal. In recent months, several such individuals employed across India have allegedly been pushed into Bangladesh by security agencies. The West Bengal government has taken up these cases and repatriated some of the affected individuals.

Adding to her criticism, Banerjee raised concerns over alleged NRC-like efforts being carried out in Bihar under the guise of electoral roll revisions. She accused the Election Commission of attempting to implement NRC "through the backdoor" and suggested that such actions were part of a larger strategy to undermine the citizenship rights of vulnerable and marginalized populations across the country.

The incident has deepened political tensions and drawn national attention to the implications of NRC-related activities extending beyond Assam’s borders.