Manoj Tiwari will have to leave if NRC is rolled out in Delhi, says Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said if the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is implemented in the national capital, Delhi BJP Chief Manoj Tiwari would be the first to leave the city.

Tiwari who has, on several occasions in the past, demanded that the NRC should be implemented in the National Capital also, promptly responded by labelling the Delhi CM as “anti-national” and accusing him of stigmatising migrants from other States. Kejriwal’s comments came after a press conference he held on a different issue. Responding to a specific question about the BJP’s push for the NRC, not just in Delhi but also West Bengal, the Chief Minister said: “If the NRC is implemented in Delhi, Manoj Tiwari will be the first to have to leave Delhi.”

Tiwari hails from Bihar and has been a successful singer and actor in the Bhojpuri film industry. Along with Ravi Kishan, another BJP MP from Gorakhpur, he is credited for having turned around the fortunes of the Bhojpuri cinema industry.

He accused Kejriwal of labelling people from Poorvanchal, such as himself, as outsiders in their own country.

“Is a person from Poorvanchal an outsider? A ghuspathia (illegal intruder)? Does that mean anyone coming from any other State is an outsider? If, as an IRS officer, he does not understand the meaning of the NRC, he is insulting the revenue service. He opposes the Republic Day, he supports Bharat tere tukde honge (India will be divided). It is a sign of his bankruptcy. He can see his defeat in elections and is saying anything that comes to his mind,” said Tiwari.

“He (Kejriwal) is talking like an anti-national,” the Delhi BJP chief added.

Last month, Tiwari had said that the situation in Delhi had become “dangerous” due to the presence of a “large number” of illegal immigrants, including Bangladeshis and Rohingyas, who have been found involved in “criminal activities”. On Tuesday, another BJP leader, party General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said that the NRC is necessary in West Bengal.

NRC in Bengal?

Speaking in his capacity as the BJP’s Bengal in-charge, Vijayvargiya said in Kolkata that the BJP will ensure implementation of the NRC for West Bengal.

“As the national general secretary of the BJP, I want to assure all of you that the NRC will be implemented but not a single Hindu will have to leave the country. Each and every Hindu will be given citizenship,” he said at a programme.