Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday questioned why the government was focusing on illegal migrants from Bangladesh, when India hosts a sizeable population from neighbouring Nepal. Illegal migration, the Chief Minister pointed out, is not an isolated or one-time issue or even one that only involves Bangladesh.

‘After partition so many people came from Pakistan...  Nepal is also our neighbour... we must remember that. Borders are not with state governments but with the centre,’ she added, implying that the responsibility for securing the area also belongs to the Centre, reports ndtv.com.

The issue of Assam’s National Register of Citizens has become a rallying point for the opposition. Over the last three days, the Congress and Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress have been keeping up the heat in parliament over the issue.

Banerjee, who has been meeting various opposition leaders in Delhi, said she discussed the matter with Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi today.

The opposition contends that the government has been targeting Muslims under the pretext of identifying illegal migrants from Bangladesh. The initiative, it says, also has ramifications in terms of foreign policy and can send the wrong message to neighbouring countries.

‘Calling all Bangladeshis ‘ghuspetis’  (intruders) is wrong... Bangladesh is not an illegal country,’ said Ms Banerjee, taking a dig at BJP chief Amit Shah, who had repeatedly used the term in his address to the media yesterday.

Bangladesh and West Bengal not only share border, but also the language and culture, Ms Banerjee pointed out. ‘If the same continues... there will be bloodbath, there will be civil war,’ she added, repeating yesterday’s warning that had led to the filing of a police case against her in Assam.

Speaking of the trouble simple, rural folks might face in proving their identity, Ms Banerjee said, ‘If my parents were asked to prove identity they would also fail... they are simple farmers‘.

‘Whoever is a BJP voter will be in the list... those who are not, will be deleted from the list... will you drive out everyone in the name of Bangladeshis?’ said the Trinamool Congress chief, who is emerging as one of the key forces trying to stitch up a common front to take on the BJP in the next year’s assembly elections.

It was also another dig at Amit Shah, who has accused her of seeing illegal immigrants as votebank.  The chief of the Bengal’s BJP unit has said if the party comes to power in the state, an Assam-style citizens’ register will be compiled in Bengal.  The Bengal Chief Minister, who is still seeing red over that remark, said the BJP should come to power in the state first.