Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee warned people against applying under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA, as it would label them as foreigners, and she launched her Lok Sabha election campaign from West Bengal’s Krishnanagar constituency.
She reiterated her refusal to permit the state to adopt CAA and issued a further challenge to the saffron party to win 200 seats.
The TMC chief accused the BJP of “peddling lies” about the CAA, saying that “Modi’s guarantee on CAA is a zero guarantee.” Banerjee quoted the BJP as a “jumla party,” according to PTI.
“The CAA is a ruse to convert lawful citizens into non-citizens. The National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be implemented after CAA. In West Bengal, neither CAA nor NRC would be permitted. Avoid succumbing to the deceptive assurances of the national government. You will be classified as a foreigner for five years if you apply,” Banerjee stated.
She voiced her doubts about the census department’s inclusion on the CAA committee, asking, “If they don’t have any plans for the NRC going forward, why has this member been included? The NRC is the tail, and the CAA is the head.
“What is the reason behind the BJP leaders’ refusal to apply for CAA citizenship? It’s because they can no longer run for office if they apply because they will have to declare themselves to be foreigners,” the woman asserted.
A case in which a young person in the South 24 Parganas district’s Sonarpur area tragically committed suicide because they were worried about the CAA was brought to light by Banerjee.
The TMC supremo reassured the community that they should have faith in her, saying that she would never allow “anyone to snatch your citizenship.” The Matuas are anticipated to benefit the most from the implementation of the CAA.
Please have faith in me, Matuas. I refuse to let anyone take your citizenship away from you. Would you rather live in peace or do you want that (to be stolen)? At her first rally of the election season, she declared, “With CAA, they will snatch everything from you and keep you in a detention camp.”
Due to religious persecution, the Matuas, who are originally from East Pakistan, are a vulnerable Hindu community that fled to India during the partition and the creation of Bangladesh. Political parties in West Bengal seek out this voting group due to its sizeable population and unified voting habits.
As per the regulations released on March 13, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will allow the government to start awarding Indian citizenship to non-Muslim migrants who have been persecuted. This includes Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, as long as they arrived in India prior to December 31, 2014.
Mamata Banerjee went on to accuse the BJP-led Union government of using federal agencies to target the leaders of her party. Banerjee said, “Teams from the CBI, ED, and Income Tax are being sent to our leaders’ homes on a daily basis.”
“Why are CBI and ED teams visiting the homes of our leaders if the BJP is certain it will win 400 seats?” she questioned. What is the purpose of dispatching Bengali officers to other states?
Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest was something Banerjee angrily denounced the central government for. She said, “Arvind Kejriwal was arrested, but they were unable to keep him from working. He continues to work from behind bars.
She spoke in a metaphorical manner, saying, “One Patel (NCP leader Praful Patel) went inside the BJP washing machine and is now free of corruption.” This is the laundry machine of the BJP.”
