BJP national General Secretary Kailash Vijayvergiya on Friday criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerje for her remarks on the updation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, saying it was an insult to the Constitution and the Supreme Court.

Banerjee’s comment was part of her “sinister political motives”, Vijayvergiya said.

“The NRC is being updated in Assam after consultation with all stakeholders, communities, political parties and outfits. Such comments are not only an insult to the Constitution and Supreme Court but also against the spirit of the federal structure of our country,” Vijayvergiya said in a statement.

The NRC of 1951 is being updated in Assam under the supervision of the Supreme Court to identify original residents of the state in order to check illegal migration.

The BJP government in Assam has also condemned Banerjee’s statement, saying it was “derogatory, insulting to the people of Assam and against the Constitution as well as the spirit of the Supreme Court.”

FIR lodged against Mamata

The Assam Police have registered an FIR against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly promoting enmity between communities in the state.

Addressing a meeting at Ahmedpur on Thursday, Banerjee had accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of “hatching a conspiracy” to drive out Bengalis from Assam by “excluding” their names from the first draft of the NRC published on the 31 December midnight.

On Thursday, the police booked Mamata for hate speech after multiple complaints made by several lawyers alleged that her speech over the updation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) was inflammatory and could create enmity between communities in Assam.

Banerjee had claimed the updating of the NRC to determine the state’s original inhabitants was a “conspiracy to drive away Bengalis” from Assam.

According to media reports, on the issue of FIR, Deputy Commissioner (Central) of Guwahati Police Ranjan Bhuyan said that Latasil police station received a complaint regarding an alleged speech of the West Bengal Chief Minister. We have registered the complaint and will carry out the investigation as per law.

The complaint was filed by Gauhati High Court advocate Tailendra Nath Das and the police have registered an FIR under Section 153(A) of the Indian Penal Code, he added. The section pertains to promoting enmity among groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.

The FIR sparked an angry response from the Trinamool Congress which said, such an action would not stop her from fighting for the cause of the Bengalis while the BJP accused Banerjee of trying to make an “issue out of an non-issue” for reaping political dividends.