Received letters from Assam, Haryana seeking info about 53 persons from Bengal: Mamata

Kolkata, July 22 (IANS) The West Bengal government has received letters from the Assam and Haryana governments seeking information about 52 bona fide residents of West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told media persons on Tuesday.

“The two state governments have sought information about these 52 residents of West Bengal on suspicion that they might be illegal Bangladeshi residents. What do they think? Do they want to capture West Bengal through such means? But I want to assure you all that there is nothing to be scared of. We are there,” the Chief Minister said while addressing the media persons at the state secretariat on Tuesday.

According to her, the first letter received was from the Assam government, where it has been alleged that one resident of Falakata in Alipurduar district of West Bengal entered Assam illegally in the month of March 1971.

“How could the Assam government interfere in the internal matter of West Bengal. This was not only unethical but also unconstitutional. I will request the double-engine government in Assam to mind its own business. If you think that you will run the country in such a fashion, the nation will be divided ultimately,” the Chief Minister said.

Similarly, she said, West Bengal government received a letter from the Haryana government recently, where the latter sought detailed information about 52 migrant workers from West Bengal currently working in Haryana.

Mamata Banerjee claimed that the Haryana government suspects these migrant workers from West Bengal to be illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators.

“The copies of the letter had been sent to district magistrates and district police superintendents of the concerned district where these 52 migrant workers are original residents. In the letter, these district magistrates and district police superintendents have been asked to send detailed information about these 52 migrant workers to the Haryana government,” the Chief Minister added.

She said that these migrant workers are mainly residents of districts Malda, Murshidabad, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Nadia, Cooch Behar, and South 24 Parganas.

--IANS

src/uk