After Kerala and Punjab it is Bengal’s turn to pass resolution rejecting the Citizenship Amendment Act. Accusing the BJP of playing a “dangerous game” by forcibly imposing CAA and National Population Register Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said the Trinamool Congress too will pass a resolution against the CAA soon. The move is a sharp departure from the stand taken by her Government a few days ago.
Moments before leaving for North Bengal where he subsequently told an audience that her Government would never allow either CAA or NPR to take place in Bengal, Banerjee said “the NPR is a very dangerous game … it is National Citizenship Register in disguise and is being pushed through in the name of NPR. We condemn the Centre’s move for NPR.”
Accusing BJP for trying to squeeze out absurd information from the citizens in the name of NPR so as to use it against them in future Banerjee said CAA, NRC and NPR are multiple sides of the same act adding her Government would soon pass a resolution rejecting CAA.
“We passed a resolution against NRC and CAB —which was only a bill then — a few months ago. Now as it has become a law will pass a
resolution against CAA and demand its withdrawal,” Banerjee said adding the resolution will be passed within 4-5 days.
The Left and the Congress immediately lashed out at the Chief Minister for “making volte-face too often.” Opposition Leader Abdul Mannan and Left Legislature Party Leader Sujan Chakrabarty said: “only a few days we had brought the proposal in the State Assembly but the government stopped the Congress and the Left from bringing a resolution against the CAA like Kerala and Punjab … now finding that the public opinion is going against her she has hurriedly decided to pass the resolution.”
On NPR Banerjee said, “I have come to know from media reports that they are demanding absurd information about the parents of a person in the NPR format. There is a column seeking information about parents, their birth place and birth certificate. How can anyone provide such information…
“They say that the column is optional. Have you seen any blank column in the mark sheet when you appear for an examination. This is a mischievous column. I want to know that if this column is not mandatory then why they have put it there? Again where is a guarantee that if you do not provide the information your name will not be marked for future reference in NRC or things like that? We have passed a resolution against NPR and request all the States including the BJP-ruled states of the North East to follow suit.”
State BJP leader JP Majumdar said such resolutions are of little value in the face of a parliamentary law.
In a public meeting at Darjeeling, she said, “Even I will not be able to provide these documents,” adding how the other parties were acting hypocritically by making loud comments in the media against the CAA but joining the meeting in Delhi on NPR.
When asked as to whether she would like to call a meeting of opposition leaders in order to unite them Banerjee said she might invite the Chief Ministers particularly of the north-eastern States to take a decision on the issue.
“I have no problem in hosting a meeting of the Chief Ministers in Kolkata if they are interested to join it,” she said appealing to all the Chief Ministers and Governments of the North East like Tripura, Assam and elsewhere to oppose, CAA, NRC and NPR.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Chandra Bose on Monday wondered whether imposing any law on the people without their consent was the right way of doing things. The grand nephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose said, “you cannot impose a law. You cannot threaten the people to follow some law. This is not fare in democracy.”