CAA a trap, lacks legal clarity: Mamata Banerjee
Banerjee said those who entered India after the CAA’s cut-off date (December 31, 2014) become illegal immigrants irrespective of religion
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government for enforcing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) days before the announcement of the national poll schedule. She said it did so to capture certain seats in Bengal, where Dalit and Namasudra communities with roots in Bangladesh have a sizeable presence.
“Will you put your fate in the hands of the BJP which has done this just to win two or three seats? If you apply for citizenship, you may not be able to vote in the coming election,” Banerjee said at an event in North 24 Parganas district.
She questioned whether the CAA has any legal validity. “Does it guarantee the rights of citizens under Article 14 [equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws] and 21 [right to life and personal liberty] of the Constitution?”
Banerjee accused the BJP of hoodwinking everyone. “Think a thousand times before applying,” she said. She said the moment someone applies for citizenship under CAA, the person would voluntarily declare himself an illegal immigrant and automatically lose citizenship rights, properties, and jobs.
Banerjee said countries offer citizenship to people who have lived on their soil for a certain period. “It can be five years or 10 years. In our country, district magistrates had the right to declare someone a citizen. They [Union government] have taken away this power.”
Banerjee said those who entered India after the CAA’s cut-off date (December 31, 2014) become illegal immigrants irrespective of whether they were Hindus, Christians, Jews, or Sikhs. “It will not spare Muslims as well. Note the day on which they enforced CAA...the first day of Ramzan,” Banerjee said.
Banerjee said it would be impossible for many to prove their background based on documents such as birth certificates of parents. “My parents did not have birth certificates. I do not even know when they were born. Many among you are 50-60. Do you have birth certificates of your parents? ...Two out of every 10 applicants will get citizenship certificates and the rest will be thrown into detention camps,” said Banerjee. She said she was ready to lay down her life but would not allow anyone to be sent to a detention camp.
Banerjee said there was no clarity in CAA on how caste-based reservation will be decided. “How will they [the applicants] get their caste certificates? ...OBCs [other backward classes] comprise both Hindus and Muslims in Bengal.”
Banerjee wondered if it was a game to divide Bengal again. “The BJP hates Bengalis. If they hear a man speaking Bengali, they immediately declare him a Bangladeshi. People from both sides of the border speak the same language. Ignore CAA. Nobody can touch you. We will protect you.”
Banerjee said CAA is directly linked to the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which led to the exclusion of 1.9 million people including 1.3 million Hindus. “Many Hindus died by suicide. CAA is their first step to enforcing NRC in Bengal. It is a trap. Do not fall for it,” he said. “What about properties you have purchased here; shops you have set up or the jobs you do? You will lose everything overnight if you fall for this trap.”
Union minister Shantanu Thakur, who heads the All India Matua Mahasangha and represents Bengal’s Bongaon Lok Sabha seat, dismissed the allegations. “CAA is not about depriving someone of citizenship rights. It gives permanent citizenship rights to refugees.”
