Silchar Airport
Silchar AirportWikimedia Commons

Amid the ongoing tussle between political parties on the publication of National Register of Citizens' draft, Mamata Banerjee's party, Trinamool Congress has said it will organise a demonstration across West Bengal on Saturday and Sunday. The demonstrations will be held to protest the mishandling and arrest of its party members at the Silchar airport in Assam.

According to TMC secretary general and West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, the party will observe "black day" on August 4 and 5 in every block and district of the state. The top party leaders have asked the supporters to wear black badges in protest against the ruling Centre.

On Monday, a group of six members of the TMC went to Assam to examine the situation of state following the publication of NRC's updated draft.

"We condemn the way the public representatives were manhandled and detained by the Assam police at the Silchar airport. They being MPs had every right to visit a place, but all rules were violated and our party delegation was stopped. This is shameful," PTI quoted Chatterjee as saying.

The Minister for Urban Development in the government of West Bengal, Bobby Hakim, alleged that BJP updated NRC to generate ''communal tension'' among people.

Assam NRC
Villagers wait outside the National Register of Citizens (NRC) centre to get their documents verified by government officials, at Mayong Village in Morigaon district, in the northeastern state of Assam.Reuters

"If MPs and MLAs are prevented in such an illegal manner from visiting a place, can you believe that poor and marginalised people whose names did not figure in the NRC will get a proper hearing," Hakim said as per a report of The Hindu.

Background

MP and member of the delegation, Mahua Moitra, who was stopped by the Assam Police at the Silchar airport has registered a complaint against Assam CM Sarbananda Sonwal at the Alipore police station in Kolkata.

In addition, Mamata Banerjee who was upset due to mishandling with her party's delegation, including women, accused the BJP of thrusting a "super emergency" in the country.

While clearing the allegations made by ruling party in West Bengal, the BJP accused the TMC of trying to disrupt the peace and stability in Assam.

"The TMC is trying to put national security at stake and gain political mileage out of it. Who had asked the TMC leaders to visit Assam? Why did they go there? Their intention is to disturb peace and stability," BJP state general secretary Sayantan Basu said to The Hindu.