Mamata Banerjee Vows to Defend Bengalis Against Controversial Citizenship Schemes

On Friday, Mamata Banerjee pledged to the Bengali people that she would defend them from the controversial citizenship scheme of the saffron administration as well as its attempts to impose a universal civil code.

The chief minister encouraged the populace to unite against the BJP, which she said thrived on prejudice, division, and deprivation, at her rallies on Friday in the Muslim-majority districts of Murshidabad and Suti.

"In Bengal, I halted the National Register for Citizens' (NRC) installation. In Assam, they had turned away 19 lakh applicants. Here, I'll never allow them to do that. The instant an individual applies for citizenship under the revised citizenship legislation, their status as an outsider will be recorded. In her Hariharpara speech, Mamata urged the populace "not to be afraid," alluding to the terrible Assam situation in which 19 lakh people—5.5 lakh of them were Muslims—were outside the final NRC.

"I ask that migrant laborers who returned to the state during the month of Ramadan refrain from leaving before casting their ballots. In the district that sends lakhs of people abroad as migrant laborers, she continued, "Do not give them the chance to put your names on the CAA, NRC lists, and snatch your rights."

The chief minister, whose campaign against the citizenship troika previously paid off politically for her party, made it clear once more that she would not stop harping on the contentious and divisive trident (the National Population Register, the Citizenship Appeals Authority, and the NRC), which is a key poll issue in Bengal, a state with a population that is over 28% minority and roughly 46% SC, ST, and OBC combined.

"Those who do not now own a ration card or Aadhaar card need not be concerned. We are going to perform Duare Sarkar again after the elections. Everything the people require will be provided by us. She addressed Suti, saying, "Whoever is working here and living here, that is their identity."

One of Mamata's top priorities in the Trinamool Congress manifesto for the general election, which was released on Wednesday, is protection from the contentious citizenship tripod of the Narendra Modi regime at the Center, about which she has been unwaveringly focused since February.

"They (the BJP) would take away everyone's identity, even my Rajbanshi, tribal, minority, and Matua friends. They have now included UCC in their agenda. Individuals practice diverse faiths, follow diverse religions, and follow distinct customs. The Trinamool chairman stated, "India's beauty lies in the unity in its diversity."

"I will not implement the CAA, NRC, or UCC while I am alive, but I will stop eating if necessary," she continued.

Mamata didn't waste any time in accusing the BJP of attempting to implement the NRC in Bengal again when it became known that Aadhaar cards had been deactivated in many locations around the state in February. After the CAA went into effect in March, she increased the ante in an attempt to allow it to escalate to a point where the saffron camp could find it challenging to reverse in a state where a large number of people have been living in fear of the Modi government's citizenship matrix.

According to a Trinamul insider, "this resurgence of a deep-seated, collective fear of individual harm in the fairly immediate future is quite likely to yield concrete electoral results."

Mamata reiterated her claim that there was no INDIA alliance in Bengal, citing the fact that her rallies were held in Murshidabad, an area where the Congress and the Left continue to enjoy significant support.

"The state does not have any Indians. We will assist them on a national scale. But in this case, it's just us versus the BJP," said the chief minister, who had ended the alliance because of the Left's unwillingness to reach a consensus with her and the partner Congress of INDIA's excessive delay in finalizing the seat-sharing agreement.

This partnership between the CPM and the Congress would benefit the BJP in the long run. I ask that people vote for the Trinamool Congress and no other party," she continued.