West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam was done by BJP with a "political motive" to divide people and rule. Following which, Bangladeshi author, Taslima Nasreen, called out her double standards.

Mamata warned BJP that it would lead to a bloodbath and a civil war in the country. But, the Muslim author is living in exile after violent protests by Muslims against her in 2007 for her book ‘Lajja’. 

Nasreen tweeted, “Good to see Mamtaji is so sympathetic to 40 lakh Bengali speaking people. She even says West Bengal will shelter those people left out of Assam. How come she doesn't have any sympathy for me who was thrown out of Bengal by her rival party?” Earlier, Nasreen had referred Banerjee as a dangerous opposition.

Mamata said, “People should not be reduced to refugees in their own country.”

On the contrary, Nasreen has been living in exile since 1994. She has received multiple death threats by Muslim fundamentalists for her writings. In 2004, she took refuge in India and stayed in Kolkata. But, in 2007, she was forced out of Bengal by the then left government. Mamata in spite of championing women's cause remained silent. Even after coming to power, her core vote bank kept her away from supporting Nasreen.

Also read: NRC: Entire India needs citizens’ register like Assam to stop illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas

Mamata said the saffron party is trying to divide the country and asserted this will not be tolerated. However, she never responded to Nasreen's call for help.

Nasreen tweeted, “Mamtaji does not have sympathy for all rootless or homeless Bengali speaking people. If she had, she would have sympathy for me and she would have allowed me to enter West Bengal.”

In 2017, In an interview, Nasreen said, “Even though I am not staying there, she (Mamata Banerjee) has not allowed my book ‘Nirbasan’ to be published. Also, she has stopped the broadcast of a TV serial scripted by me after Muslim fundamentalists objected to it. She is not allowing me to enter the state.”

So, this whole controversy raises one big question, Is Mamata really concerned about NRC or is this just another way to strengthen her vote bank?

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