Bengal to shelter Bengalis, Biharis if driven out: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday said if Biharis and Bengalis are driven out from other states then Bengal will look after them, according to a report published on www.devdiscourse.com.

Mamata accused the BJP of trying to "distort" the country's history to create a rift among the people on religious lines.

The country's history and culture do not promote "sectarianism or bigotry", she asserted while addressing a public programme here.

Drawing parallels between the NRC exercise in Assam and exodus of Bihari migrants from Gujarat, Banerjee said both the BJP-ruled states are trying to divide people on the basis of caste, creed, race and religion.

"While they (BJP) are driving away Bengalis in Assam, they are also ousting Biharis from Gujarat. The Constitution of our country teaches us to treat everybody equally. We cannot differentiate between people on the basis of caste, creed and religion," she said.

"Those trying to distort our secular history should know that the people of Bengal will neither encourage nor allow divisive politics," the chief minister said.