Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refused to comment on BJP MP Soumitra Khan’s comments calling imminent personalities who oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as dogs of the chief minister.
“Some BJP leaders are so egoistic and arrogant, they don’t know what they are saying. I don’t even want to mention their names,” said Mamata Banerjee while adding that there are times when people support her and when they will not.
Mamata made these comments at the airport before leaving for a tour to North Bengal.
Instead, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo appealed to Chief Ministers of all North-Eastern states to think carefully before taking a decision to participate in the National Population Register(NPR) exercise, including BJP led states of Tripura and Assam.
We have passed a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) four months ago and now will pass a resolution in the next few days to withdraw CAA.
“I appeal to North Eastern states to do the same,” said Mamata. Dubbing the NPR exercise as “a dangerous game”, Banerjee said the form, which seeks birth details and residential proof of parents, was nothing but a precursor to NRC implementation.
She also added that if Chief Ministers of North Eastern states are interested, she can call a meeting in Kolkata when it is convenient.
TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee has been vocal against CAB and NRC since the beginning after the BJP government in Assam decided to implement the move.
She had voiced her dissent as lakhs of Bengalis were left out of the NRC list.
In recent months after CAA was introduced, Mamata has tried to get the support of opposition parties to fight as a united force and stand up against the BJP.
The TMC however did not attend the January 17th meeting in Delhi called by Congress President Sonia Gandhi on the CAA and chose to fight separately.
In a bid to step up her fight, Mamata is now looking closer home towards the North Eastern states for support and to put pressure on the BJP government at the Centre to withdraw the CAA.
