She also slammed the BJP, saying it was targeting Opposition leaders using central agencies. She said the country has transformed into a “democracy run by central agencies”.
“As for citizenship, remember that all of you are citizens of this country. If you are not a citizen, how are you availing free ration, Swasthya Sathi (healthcare scheme), have PAN or Aadhaar cards? The BJP is exploiting the citizenship issue for its political agenda. It is misleading the people on the issue. Previously, granting citizenship was decided by the district magistrates, but now those powers have been taken away from them for politics,” the TMC chief said during a meeting of party workers in Deganga in North 24 Parganas district.
She alleged that the BJP’s agenda behind raising the citizenship issue was to “divide people” on religious lines. “They want to give citizenship to someone and deny others. If one community is getting citizenship, the other community should also get it. This discrimination is wrong,” she added.
The TMC chief remarks follow senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement in Kolkata on Tuesday in which he said that no one can prevent the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act [CAA] as it is the law of the land.
During a visit to the state last month, Shah had said that the BJP-led Central government will implement the CAA and NRC (National Register of Citizens).
The CAA seeks to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities like Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who had entered India on or before December 31, 2014.
Banerjee also said that the TMC, which is part of the Opposition bloc INDIA, will lead the fight against the BJP in West Bengal in the Lok Sabha polls.
Defending minister Jyotipriya Mallick, who has been arrested by the central agencies in connection with the alleged irregularities in public distribution scheme, Mamata Banerjee said it was an attempt by the BJP to hinder his party activities in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
“They arrested Balu (Jyotipriya Mallick) so that he cannot work in the Lok Sabha election. The ED and CBI are torturing him. The central government are now controlling the agencies. It did not happen earlier. We have to fight against this.” With PTI Inputs