New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday asserted her opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), stating that it is linked with the National Register of Citizens (NRC). She expressed concerns about the establishment of detention camps akin to those in Assam.
She emphasized that her opposition stems from her desire to prevent such camps from being set up in West Bengal. "The CAA is related to NRC, that is why we are opposing it. We don't want detention camps like those in Assam," she told reporters, reported news agency PTI.
Banerjee criticized the CAA as a "political gimmick" ahead of Lok Sabha polls and expressed discontent over the exclusion of Muslims from its ambit, stating that it aims to divide the country's populace.
With the CAA rules being issued, the central government will now start granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, who came to India till December 31, 2014. These include Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians.
Addressing an administrative meeting in Jalpaiguri earlier in the day, Banerjee underscored that the citizenship-granting process proposed by the central government is different from that of other nations, as per the PTI report.
She pledged her administration's commitment to safeguarding the rights of citizens in West Bengal, reassuring that no one would be ousted from the state, and all refugees would find permanent settlement there.
Furthermore, Banerjee rebuked the BJP, accusing it of promoting a "distorted interpretation of Hinduism" that deviates from the teachings of the Vedas and Swami Vivekananda. "The BJP's conception of Hinduism deviates from the teachings of the Vedas and Swami Vivekananda," she contended.
During an administrative meeting, Banerjee extended the 'Cha Sundari' scheme for tea garden workers, providing land titles and funds for housing construction, and unveiled various development projects for north Bengal districts, the PTI report added.
"The Centre does not the give the money which is due to us. Had they given, we could have done more," she said.
"They (BJP leaders) say that our government has usurped money under various central schemes, like the 100-day job programme, which is false because the money goes directly to the beneficiaries. However, we are paying the money to the beneficiaries from our own pocket. We have to stand on our own feet," she added, reported PTI.