Kolkata: Hitting directly at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee alleged that PM Modi himself doesn’t support Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) as he didn’t vote in favour of the same in the Parliament.
“BJP came to power by taking our votes. Now, just because they have got the majority they are bringing new policies at midnight without consulting others. In Parliament when MPs were voting for CAB, Modi himself didn’t vote for the same. When he himself doesn’t support CAB, then he should immediately reject it,” said Banerjee while addressing a rally at Park Circus Maidan. This was the fifth consecutive rally by addressed by Trinamool Congress chief, as a mark of protest against the recently passed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Banerjee also mentioned that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) initially started deciding on everything we do—what we wear, what we eat. “They have been after food habits of people of India. I was travelling by Air India and found that they do not serve non-veg food. And now they are after our citizenship,” she alleged.
Rally against controversial citizenship act
“I am a seven-time MP and have travelled a lot by Air India. But now flight companies don’t serve non-veg food only serves veg. There is limit to everything. All of us have endured the misdoings of the BJP government for so long but now it is time to fight back. They are seeking birth certificates of those born 70 years back, they should also prove the same for their ancestors. Time will come when the BJP will become extinct in India,” reiterated Banerjee.
Attacking at BJP, TMC supremo accused BJP of acting as a bigshot and were forgetting the power of united India.
“The vote percentage of BJP is 38 and uniting all the oppositions the remaining is 62 percent. They should not overlook that. If all the opposition parties along with the common people stand together then BJP will not find a place to hide. The beauty of India is that people of all religion stays and eats together, something that the saffron camp wants to break, but TMC will not let that happen,” said Banerjee.
She also said that BJP, which came into existence in 1980 can not pass the cut off date of 1971. When there was Gandhi ji, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad and Rajendra Prasad in India then there was no BJP.
“So ministers and leaders of BJP should first come out clear about their eligibility to stay in India and the validity of their citizenship documents,” she added.
Chanting ‘CAB, NRC wapaas lo’ Banerjee said, “A party which was constituted in 1980, is asking for proof of citizenship from those who were born in 1950, 1960 and 1970. After 73 years of Independence Indian citizens are being asked to prove their citizenship which is actually a ploy to divide the country and sell it to foreigners.”
Singing ‘Sare Jahan se achha, Hindustan humara’, the chief minister urged the common people of the state not to fall into the trap of the ‘fake videos’ circulated by the BJP.
“BJP is spreading a fake video about me. I have been consistently protesting on the issue of ‘No ID card, No vote’. BJP is preparing fake videos to misguide people. Do not pay heed to these rumours. Protest peacefully, using democratic means,” she said.
Earlier today, Banerjee held a meeting with various party functionaries at Trinamool Bhavan. At the end of the meeting, she announced further course of action to step up the anti-CAA-NRC protests in Bengal. She also appealed to the people to participate in the mass protests in a peaceful, democratic manner.
