Time has come for all of us to protest: Mamata
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee, while addressing a workshop at Netaji Indoor Stadium on Monday afternoon, urged youths and students to join the movement demanding withdrawal of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
"One must understand that the two major pillars of Indian society are peace and communal harmony. From time immemorial India has earned the respect of other countries because of its principle of unity in diversity. Bengal is the cultural hub of India and it has always practised communal harmony and peace. People coming from different religions and speaking different languages stay peacefully in Bengal and we will have to understand this. Through NRC and CAA, BJP is trying to destroy our social fabric and time has come for all of us to protest as it is a question of our security. We are citizens of India and will continue to remain Indian citizens," she said.
Charging the BJP with "doublespeak" and "hypocrisy", she added: "Some people want only one colour to persist...but our country is a beautiful mosaic of all colours."
Recollecting the Nandigram movement and encouraging students to stand up for their rights, Banerjee said: "You may not have taken part in the movement against the atrocities of CPI(M) in Nandigram and Singur and heard about the movement from your elders. But now it is a golden opportunity for you to join the movement against CAA and NRC to save our motherland."
She also urged the students to take part in the movement seriously while maintaining calmness and peace. "The movement should be launched peacefully. The energy of the youths should be utilised to build the country," the TMC supremo maintained.
Banerjee stressed that BJP is misleading the people about the draconian Act and urged the students to select 1,000 houses and launch a door-to-door campaign to make people aware of it.
She also asked the students to collect the booklet published by the state government, elucidating on the developments that have taken place in Bengal in the last eight years, from the Kolkata International Book Fair and inform people about the multiple schemes of the government.
Without naming Narendra Modi and Kailash Vijayvargiya, Banerjee severely criticised them for their statements. Vijayvargiya had recently said at a seminar in Indore that he suspected there were Bangladeshis among the construction labourers at his house as they were eating poha (flattened rice).
He had also said that the "strange" eating habits of the workers aroused his suspicion about their nationality.
Meanwhile, Modi had said that he could identify the people participating in the anti-CAA and anti-NRC protest by their attire and mark them for causing damages to government properties thereby hinting at the Muslims.
"It is unfortunate that BJP is trying to control the food habit and dress of Indian people. They have crossed all limits," said an irate Banerjee, adding: "Who gave them (BJP) the right to make such remarks? Can you determine someone's nationality just by seeing him/her eat poha? Will you be able to verify someone's nationality based on the clothes he or she is wearing?"
Recollecting how the CPI(M) had thrown bombs at her during her student days, she said: "The harmads (armed cadres) of CPI(M) have now joined the BJP and the CPI(M) expects us to learn politics from them."
She said that the dharna by the students against NRC and CAA will resume from January 31. From January 28 to 30, INTTUC members will protest against the selling of Air India and the proposed privatisation policies of the Indian Railways and Ordnance factory.
On February 1, there will be a demonstration in every block and the students will take part in the rallies. On February 5, a human chain will be held in every block against CAA and NRC, added the TMC supremo.
