Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the issue of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
She alleged that the BJP has again “started crying CAA, CAA” for the sake of votes ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
"We have fought against the NRC. Rajbanshis are citizens of India. They have again started shouting CAA, CAA for the sake of votes," Mamata Banerjee was quoted as saying by ANI at a public distribution program in West Bengal's Cooch Behar on Monday.
Banerjee's remarks come a day after Union Minister Shantanu Thakur said that he ‘guarantees’ that the CAA will be implemented nationwide in a week.
“The Ram mandir (temple) in Ayodhya has been inaugurated, and within the next seven days, the CAA will be implemented across the country. This is my guarantee. Not just in West Bengal, the CAA would be implemented in every state of India within a week,” Thakur said at a public rally.
Under the CAA, brought in by the Narendra Modi government, Indian nationality will be granted to persecuted non-Muslim migrants – Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians – from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who had come to India till December 31, 2014.
Also Read | CAA rules to be notified 'much before' Lok Sabha polls: Reports
{{/usCountry}}Under the CAA, brought in by the Narendra Modi government, Indian nationality will be granted to persecuted non-Muslim migrants – Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians – from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who had come to India till December 31, 2014.
Also Read | CAA rules to be notified 'much before' Lok Sabha polls: Reports
{{/usCountry}}Massive protests were seen in some parts of the country after the CAA was passed by Parliament in December 2019 and received the Presidential assent subsequently.
On Monday, Banerjee said that her government has acknowledged all colonies as "permanent addresses" and that all residents who benefit from various state government schemes are citizens of the country.
"All of you are citizens. We have given permanent addresses to all colonies. They get ration, go to school, get scholarships, get Kisan Bandhu, Shikhashree, Oikoshree, and Laxmir Bhandar. How could they get these benefits if they had not been citizens? Had they been able to cast votes if they were not citizens?" Banerjee questioned, according to ANI.
The West Bengal chief minister also accused the BJP-led central government of misusing central agencies. Banerjee said: "They call leaders and say that if you do not come with us, we will send ED to your houses. What will the ED do? What will the CBI do? They are here today but they may not be there tomorrow."
On December 27 last year, Union home minister Amit Shah had said that no one can stop the implementation of the CAA as it is the law of the land and had accused Banerjee of misleading people on the issue.