Mamata urges political parties, civil society to isolate BJP

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday ripped apart the ruling dispensation at the Centre from her protest rally in Purulia and asserted that the Narendra Modi-led BJP government, which is keen on driving people out of the country in the name of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), will eventually find itself ousted by the people in the process.

She also urged political parties and civil societies to join hands and isolate the saffron party. "I would appeal to everyone to join hands against the BJP and isolate them everywhere. Political parties, civil society groups and students' communities should oppose and isolate the party across the country. They want to take away our independence. We will not let that happen," she said.

Banerjee further added: "The BJP government that has been trying to drive people out of the country by implementing the NRC and CAA will get a befitting reply. They are trying to brand those protesting against the amended citizenship law as anti-nationals."

Addressing a rally here during a 5-km protest march against the law, she alleged that the BJP was "trying to strip the country's bonafide citizens of their citizenship".

Banerjee again assured that she would ensure that not a single person is driven out of the country by the BJP. She once again reminded the people that the Centre may promulgate a law but it is up to the state governments to implement it.

"BJP will provide citizenship only to its cadres and supporters. I will not allow them to implement the CAA and NRC as they are anti-people and unconstitutional. Our motto in life is to ensure that the social fabric of the country remains intact and people from various regions can co-exist. We are taking a pledge that we will not allow anybody to leave Bengal and the country for that matter," Banerjee stated.

She urged the people to stay united and thwart the attempt of implementing the CAA and NRC which she earlier termed as 'draconian'. Banerjee also said they had provided a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family members of the two youths from Bengal who died in police firing in Uttar Pradesh while taking part in a protest.

"As many as 23 people were killed in police firing in UP while staging anti-CAA protests. How can the Centre or the UP government term them as criminals? Even the students who took part in the protest rallies have been threatened. Has the BJP government forgotten that they came to power depending on the votes of these people," Banerjee attacked the Centre.

"As long as I am alive, CAA will not be implemented in Bengal. No one has to leave the country or the state. There will not be any detention centre in Bengal," the TMC chief, who has held five protest marches and two rallies in Kolkata since December 16 against the citizenship law, emphasised.