"Mamata promises citizenship rights to Bangladeshis"
SNS
| Kolkata | 18 February, 2016
If Narendra Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate, prior to the 2014 general elections, had pledged to push back the infiltrators across the Bengal-Bangladesh border to consolidate the Hindu voters, Mamata Banerjee as chief minister and chief ministerial candidate in 2016 Assembly election has vowed to give citizenship rights to Bangladeshis, who have stayed in Bengal for a minimum of five years.
"I will ask the Centre to authorise the district magistrates in granting citizenship cards to people, who have crossed over the border and have been residing here for five or more years," Banerjee said at a press conference after concluding the Cabinet meeting today.
According to her, the Centre is now the absolute authority in granting the citizenship card. Whether Ms Banerjee's sincere plea to the Centre would be heard is a matter of debate and deliberation, but the chief minister has made the right noise prior to the state Assembly election to woo a sizeable section of population, who enjoy all the rights of being a citizen, without holding the valid citizenship card.
There is no record as to what would be the size of the population, who would merit to receive the citizenship card, but during every election the areas, close to the borders, witnesses huge turn out of voters. Incidentally, over decades, immigrants have been casting votes with the help of epic cards and even hold ration cards.
Banerjee's desire to give them citizenship card amounts to legitimising their identity and right to exercise their franchise. When Banerjee was asked if she would write to the Centre in this regard, she remained noncommittal. That she had said, she thought, was enough.
Read more at http://www.thestatesman.com/news/bengal/mamata-promises-citizenship-rights-to-bangladeshis/124289.html#OtmmJ0C0cwLJLA7x.99
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