The Mamata Banerjee government recently passed the resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act and became the fourth state to do so, after Kerala, Punjab and Rajasthan. Moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee, the declaration under Rule 169 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Assembly, was passed collectively by the House, with Congress and Left members, along with those of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), supporting it.
However, the BJP opposed it. The resolution demands the Union government withdraw the amended citizenship law and repeal the plans to execute the NRC and renew the NPR.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “Citizenship (Amendment) Act is anti-people, the law should be immediately repealed. Bengal had the guts to skip NPR meeting in Delhi. If the BJP wants it can dismiss my government. Time has come to put aside narrow differences and fight together to save the country.“
She added, “The CAA is anti-people, anti-constitutional… We want this law to be repealed immediately.“ She also insisted the Congress and the Left Front about stop spreading canards in opposition to her government. State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee introduced the resolution in the House around 2 PM.
The resolution criticised the Center for issuing a notice to perform a National Population Register (NPR) and a countrywide National Register of Citizens (NRC) with no clear principles creating terror among people. The State Assembly passed a resolution demanding the withdrawal of the NRC in Assam on July 31, 2018 and followed it with another resolution on September 6, 2019 that opposed NRC in West Bengal.
The commandment has appeared as the hottest flash point in the state, with the All India Trinamool Congress opposing the controversial legislation and the BJP pressing for its implementation.