Mamata Banerjee led-Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal on Monday passed a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act in the Legislative Assembly, thus becoming the fourth state to do so after Kerala, Punjab and Rajasthan. The resolution was moved by state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee at a special session of the House. The Left and Congress members backed the resolution. The two parties had earlier expressed their dismay at the Mamata Banerjee government not allowing them to move a resolution against the CAA earlier this month. The BJP opposed the resolution in the House.
Banerjee has been at the forefront of the widespread protests against the law in West Bengal where Assembly polls will take place next year. She has already declared that she will not implement CAA and proposed a nationwide NRC in her state. The chief minister has been calling the legislation ‘unconstitutional’ and anti-Muslims. TMC leader Mohua Mitra is among the petitioners who have challenged the constitutional validity of CAA in the Supreme Court.
West Bengal witnessed violence and vandalism after the law was passed by the Parliament in December last year. Following the violent protests, Mamata Banerjee announced that she will not implement CAA, NRC and NPR.
Last year in September, the West Bengal Assembly had passed an all-party resolution, baring BJP, against the National Register of Citizens. The West Bengal government has already issued a notification asking all departments to hold works related National Population Register. The pan-India NRP exercise to update the list is slated to commence from April this year.
Meanwhile, BJP legislature party leader Manoj Tigga said the saffron party opposed the resolution as it is “unconstitutional” to bring a resolution against a law which has been passed in the Parliament.
The CAA promises to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The law was passed by the Parliament in December last year.
