Mamata Banerjee govt to bring anti-CAA resolution in state assembly on January 27

KOLKATA: After Kerala and Punjab, the West Bengal government led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will bring a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 in the state assembly on January 27. Reports on Tuesday said that a special session of the West Bengal assembly will be convened on January 27 during which the anti-CAA resolution will be adopted around 2 pm.

TMC supremo has urged all political parties to support the anti-CAA resolution.

The development comes on a day when Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Centre won't take back the citizenship law however hard the opposition might protest.

Addressing a pro-CAA rally at Lucknow, the Home Minister challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and others to hold an open debate with him on the new legislation.

Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, who is one of the worst critics of the Narendra Modi government and its policies, had earlier indicated that her government will bring a resolution against the CAA soon. She even asked the northeastern states, including those ruled by the BJP, to boycott CAA and NPR.

Banerjee, who has been protesting against the CAA, National Population Register and the proposed National Register of Citizens, alleged that NPR is linked to the CAA.

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“Before taking a decision, know the law. The NPR is a dangerous game and it is totally related to the NRC and the CAA. Pass a resolution everywhere to withdraw it,” she said in Siliguri on Monday.

“We have already brought a resolution against NPR and in coming three to four days, we will bring a resolution against CAA,” Banerjee added.

“I appeal all northeastern state governments including Tripura, Assam along with Opposition parties, before taking any decision on the NPR. I appeal to all states to pass resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act,” the TMC supremo said.

While the Modi government has been claiming that NPR should not be linked to CAA and NRC, the opposition leaders have argued that the NPR is the first step towards NRC. The NPR exercise is slated to commence from April this year.

Banerjee also declared that she will hold a mega rally in Darjeeling against the CAA and NRC on January 22. 

Banerjee recently skipped a crucial meeting of the opposition parties in Delhi on citizenship law. The meeting was convened by the Congress party.

Several opposition-ruled states, including West Bengal, Kerala and Punjab, have already issued a notification suspending the work on the National Population Register. Kerala and Punjab have also passed a resolution against the implementation of the CAA.

The CAA, which grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014, has triggered widespread protests across the country.