Aadhaar, voter ID not proof of citizenship, says Bengal BJP chief

Mangalore Today News Network

Kolkata, Jan 18, 2020: West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Friday said Aadhaar and voter ID cards are not proof of citizenship, and whoever has come from Bangladesh will have to apply for citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), Yahoo reported.

 

Speaking at a rally in Howrah in support of CAA, Ghosh, who was re-elected state BJP chief on Thursday, said, “Aadhaar and voter ID card are not proof of citizenship. Didimoni (West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee) is misleading you....” He said those who came from Bangladesh will not have to produce any document, apart from a declaration comprising the date on which they came and where they lived in Bangladesh.

“They (rival parties) are saying the date of birth of your parents is required. They are saying this to scare you... If they come, tell them to find out the true identity of their parents,” said Ghosh.

TMC leader and state minister Tapas Roy said, “It is unfortunate that we have to react to such a derogatory statement... Dilip Ghosh will not decide who will be a citizen of this country...”

CPM MLA Sujan Chakraborty said, “BJP is trying to enforce that only documents are proof of a person’s citizenship and not the fact that he has been living in this country for 30-40 years... BJP is waging a war against poor people who do not possess documents...”