Bharatiya Janata Party’s West Bengal unit’s president Dilip Ghosh on December 25 said that National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a “matter of future”, hinting at the fact that the party might not implement the contentious NRC in the state, The Hindu reported.

“When would it take place and what would happen is a matter of future,” Ghosh replied when he was asked about a deadline for the implementation of NRC in the state.

However, the senior BJP leader and RSS member retracted to his statement 24 hours later and said that the NRC will be implemented in the state. He said it is crucial as infiltrators have become the vote banks for the ruling party.

He criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s opposition to National Population Register (NPR) and said that it has become her habit to resist whatever is good for the country.

He further challenged her Mamata Banerjee to stop the Centre from implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act in the state.

Mamata Banerjee has been a staunch critic of CAA from the very first day. She led multiple rallies as a sign of protest against the bill turned amendment.

Talking about NRC implemented in Assam, Ghosh said that BJP has nothing to do with as it was executed under the Supreme Court’s order. However, he said that there have been some lapses in the process, and the Assam state government will fix it.

On NPR, the state president said that it was first introduced by the Congress in 2010. Reacting to Ghosh’s comment, Trinamool Congress leaders said that BJP is deceiving the people of the country as NPR is the first step towards NRC.

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