Mamata Banerjee ties SIR to NRC, warns of citizenship threat on Constitution Day

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday claimed that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was intended to pave the way for a National Register of Citizens (NRC)–style exercise, asserting that the citizenship of Indians was being questioned decades after Independence.

Speaking to reporters after paying tribute to B.R. Ambedkar at Red Road on Constitution Day, Banerjee alleged that the SIR was being used to “repeatedly target” citizens under the guise of verification.

Earlier in the day, in a post on X, she wrote that “when democracy is at stake, secularism is in an endangered situation, and federalism is being bulldozed,” citizens must safeguard the guidance that the Constitution provides.

Banerjee posted a detailed tribute to Ambedkar and the framers of the Constitution, calling it a unifying force for the nation. “Today, on this Constitution Day, I pay my deepest respect and tribute to the great Constitution that we have, to the great document that binds us in India. I also pay my tribute today to the visionary framers of our Constitution, especially Dr BR Ambedkar, its principal architect,” she wrote.

She also honoured the members of the Constituent Assembly from Bengal, saying they “played a crucial role in shaping the Constitution”.

Reiterating the importance of constitutional values, she stated, “I believe, our Constitution is the backbone of our nation that masterfully weaves together the immense diversity of our cultures, languages, and communities into an integrated, federal whole. On this sacred day, we re-affirm our commitment to the core democratic values enshrined in our Constitution and commit to vigilantly safeguard the sacred principles that define and sustain us as a nation.”

Warning of present political risks, Banerjee added, “Now, when democracy is at stake, when secularism is in an endangered situation, when federalism is being bulldozed, at this critical time, we must protect the valuable guidance that our Constitution provides.”

Constitution Day, or Samvidhan Divas, marks the adoption of the Indian Constitution on 26 November 1949. It has been observed officially since 2015, when the Government of India designated the date to honour Ambedkar’s role and the Constitution’s legacy.

With Agency Inputs