CM Mamata asks officials to arrange AADHAAR cards for people lacking them

Kolkata, Sep 10 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday directed the state administration to immediately arrange Aadhaar cards for those lacking the documentary identity evidence.

She gave the direction considering the Supreme Court's recent directive to include AADHAAR as documentary identity evidence in case of the special intensive revision (SIR) throughout the country.

The SIR of electoral rolls has already been completed in Bihar, which is going to the polls this year.

"I am asking the district magistrates to take special initiative in the matter so that AADHAAR cards can be arranged immediately for those who are yet to arrange the same for themselves," while addressing an administrative meeting at Jalpaiguri district.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister also directed the common people to be careful so that their names are not deleted from the voters' lists.

"We have to be careful whether our names are there in the voters' list or not. It will not be enough to be alert just now. We have to be alert for the next six to seven months. If the name is not in the voter list, they will slap the NRC," the Chief Minister said.

From the beginning, the Chief Minister and the Trinamool Congress had been opposing the SIR.

According to her, "the real intention behind SIR was to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in West Bengal".

On the other hand, the BJP claimed that Trinamool Congress and Chief Minister Banerjee were opposing the SIR out of "fear" that names of many Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators would be deleted from the voters' list.

She also assured that the state government will make all possible arrangements to bring back all West Bengal tourists who are stranded in violence-hit Nepal.

"The state will take the initiative to bring everyone back in a day or two. No one should rush and invite trouble for themselves. There is a problem in our neighbouring country. I was awake all night at my office in Siliguri monitoring the situation. You can sleep peacefully, and we are there to take care of you," the Chief Minister said.

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