Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee may be crying hoarse against the Citizenship Amendment Act asking the people to get themselves enlisted at their own peril her own Government has reportedly demanded citizenship credentials for appointment to various posts at the panchayat levels sources have said.

According to members of Samvidhan Bachao Manch Joint Action Committee for Bengali Refugees the State Government in the month of February advertised vacancies at various levels in panchayats in which they asked for proof of citizenship.

“Out of 14,000 vacancies they are taking people for 6,552 posts but in all the cases the candidates will have to prove their Indian citizenship … which is no different from what the central government is saying,” said Manch president SR Biswas. According to him the advertisement asks the candidates to apply and prove their citizenship as per the conditions given in Part II of the Constitution.

“However as per the Indian Citizenship Act a person born before July 1, 1987 will not have to produce any credential if one has the birth certificate … where he is born in India … again if one is born between July 1, 1987 and December 3, 2004 the candidate has to provide in addition to his birth certificate the birth certificate of either of his parents … and a person who is born after that date will have to produce the birth certificate of both the parents,” the Manch members say adding the present advertisement of the government tends to demand proof which would put the job-seekers in problem.

The members however could not make it clear as to why the Government would not demand requisite certificates of citizenship. “Most candidates today have their parents born after Independence and perhaps after 1950 and they do have their school certificates to prove their birth and residentship … so where is there a problem in providing copies of such certificates said Amalesh Pradhan a TMC leader from Ranaghat in Nadia district where the Citizenship Amendment Act has been a major election issue.