Citizenship Bill 'a trap' like Citizens' list, says Mamata

Cooch Behar: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the Centre on Monday for planning to introduce the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB), 2019 in Parliament and said the proposed legislation is a "trap" like the National Register of Citizen (NRC) to exclude Bengalis and Hindus as legal citizens of the country.

The CAB 2019 is expected to be introduced in the Winter Session of Parliament, which began on Monday. She also criticised the Centre for failing to revive the Indian economy. Banerjee said the government is only interested in selling out PSUs like Air India instead of taking steps to revive it.

"The Centre is planning to bring in CAB but let me tell you it is just another trap like the NRC. It is a trap to exclude Bengalis and Hindus from the list of legal citizens and make them refugees in their own countries," she said.

Addressing party workers at an administrative meeting here, she urged them to take a pledge to oust the combination of BJP, Congress and CPI(M) and assured that in 2021, a people's government will be formed in Bengal, dismissing the canards spread by the trio.

"Massive development has taken place in Cooch Behar. Panchanan Barma University has come up and people coming from all parts of society have enjoyed benefits of the schemes introduced by the state government," Banerjee added.

"No Chief Minister had visited North Bengal like me in the past. In Cooch Behar development has taken place in all quarters but despite that, some people succumbed to the money and muscle power of BJP in the Lok Sabha election. BJP purchased the votes and allegedly took help from the Central forces to win the election."

This was the Chief Minister's first visit to Cooch Behar after the Lok Sabha elections. She urged party workers to give up infighting and put up united resistance.

She said: "BJP's divisive politics has actually weakened society. They make divisions between the Bengalis and non-Bengalis, Bengalis and Rajbanshis and the latter with the Kamtapuris. They set one group against the other and try to reap benefits. Now, BJP is using National Register of Citizens for political benefit."

Alleging that the financial condition of the country has gone from bad to worse with the saffron party planning to sell 42 PSUs, she said: "They have proposed to privatise Indian Railways apart from selling Bharat Petroleum, BSNL and Air India."