Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee today said her MPs, MLAs and ministers have decided to hold mass protests across the state from this week, opposing NRC in neighbouring Assam. The decision was taken at an emergency meeting at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence this afternoon. Miss Banerjee reportedly asked her party leaders to hold the mass protests on 7 and 8 September at block levels against the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the divisive politics of BJP.

She said on 12 September a protest rally will be organised in the city from Dum Dum Chiria More to Shyambazar in north Kolkata. Miss Banerjee, also the Trinamul Congress supremo, is likely to be present in it, it is learnt. “During the meeting, Miss Banerjee expressed concern over the future of 19 lakh plus people who have been left out of the final NRC list in Assam. She has asked party leaders to reach out to the people, and explain to them about the sinister designs of BJP, such as the implementation of NRC, if it ever comes to power in Bengal,” a senior Trinamul leader said.

The updated final NRC, which validates bonafide Indian citizens of Assam, was out on Saturday. Soon after, Miss Banerjee posted on social media, “Earlier, I was not aware of the full NRC fiasco. As more and more information is coming in, we are shocked to see that names of more than 1 lakh Gorkha people have been excluded from the list.In fact, names of thousands and thousands of genuine Indians, including those of CRPF and other jawans, family members of former President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, have been excluded… Government must take care that genuine Indians are not left out, and justice is meted out to all of our genuine Indian brothers and sisters.”

Miss Banerjee further stated, “Senior Trinamul leader and minister Firhad Hakim and the party’s Rajya Sabha deputy leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy have been assigned to keep in touch with leaders of the North Eastern states on NRC.”TMC Lok Sabha party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay has been assigned to keep in touch with leaders of other regional parties across the country on the issue, party sources said. TMC has opposed NRC in Assam, and has slammed the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the state for making valid citizens refugees in their own country.

A total of 3,30,27,661 people had applied for inclusion in the NRC. Of them, 3,11,21,004 have been included in the final list and 19,06,657 excluded, according to a statement from the Assam NRC coordinator’s office. Those who have been excluded from the NRC have 120 days to appeal against it at the Foreigners Tribunals.