Kolkata: Home Minister Amit Shah defended the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) but made no mention of last week’s Delhi riots as he addressed a public rally in Kolkata Sunday. This was his first rally in the West Bengal capital since the passage of the controversial law last December.
The thrust of his Kolkata speech was the 2021 West Bengal assembly polls, with Shah telling his audience at the Shaheed Minar ground that the BJP would form its first government in the eastern state next year.
“For the people of Bengal, Modi ji got absolute majority in 2019. We promise that we will form the government here in 2021 with at least a 2/3rd majority,” Shah said.
“We will free Bengal from extortion, syndicate raj and corruption. We will bring vikas (development) here,” he added, taking aim at the state’s current Trinamool Congress dispensation led by Mamata Banerjee.
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Brief reference to CAA
With the protests against the CAA, which seeks to ease Indian citizenship for non-Muslim minorities from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, refusing to die down, Shah briefly touched upon the law in his nearly 30-minute-long speech.
“I want to reassure my brothers and sisters of the minority community living in West Bengal, nobody will touch you. You all are citizens of the country. Do not panic,” he said, adding that the Act won’t strip anyone of citizenship. “The Act is about giving citizenship to refugees.”
He accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a CAA critic, of launching “anti-refugee” protests. Citing the December 2019 anti-CAA protests in West Bengal, he said, “She allowed trains, stations, buses and public property to be burnt down as she always tries to shield the infiltrators.”
By opposing a law passed in Parliament, he added, Mamata Banerjee was not only disrespecting the founding fathers of the Constitution but also the likes of Harichand Thakur and Guruchand Thakur (founders of Matua sect) and Panchannan Barma (a leader of Koch and Rajbanshi people), who represent large Hindu refugee communities.
“The refugees are being made to fear that they will have to produce documents… nothing of this sort will happen. Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains do not need any documents,” he said.
The law is supposed to be the trigger for ongoing violence in Meghalaya and last week’s Delhi riots, but Shah made no mention of the clashes in his speech.
Trinamool ‘rajkumar’ won’t become CM: Shah
Hitting out at Banerjee and her nephew, MP Abhishek Banerjee, Shah said the next chief minister of Bengal will be a “son of the soil”, an honest Bengali, and “never the rajkumar (prince) of the ruling Trinamool”.
“The next chief minister of Bengal will be a leader who will rise from the masses not the heir apparent of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee,” he added.
A programme to counter ‘Mamata’
In light of the upcoming local body elections to be held later this year and the 2021 assembly polls, Shah launched an outreach programme for the BJP, titled “Aar Noi Annay (no more injustice)”, which is aimed at countering Mamata’s somewhat-successful ‘Didi Ke Bolo (talk to Didi)’ helpline.
“Aar Noi Anyay is a campaign to change the government in Bengal,” Shah said, adding whenever the Trinamool Congress campaigns through “Didi ke Bolo”, BJP workers should champion “Aar Noi Annay”. He also announced a number that party supporters can call to join the campaign.
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Amit Shah lost in Jharkhand, whereas he claimed to win more than two third seats. Modi and Amit Shah claimed to win 45 seats in Delhi and they won hardly 8 seats. Amit Shah promises seats and he loses more than that and now in Bengal. Bengal election is more than a year away and he has launched campaign. He roams about coutry and all his expenses are born by the India Govt. and the state Govt. for this they use plea to inaugurate some Govt. Projects. Tax payers pay for Amit Shah Modi and their Ministers roaming about on their political party jobs for which Tax payers fill in the coffers while tax payers get nothing of their tax money.
Modi and Amit Shah always say that it is opposition that is misleading people on CAA. one should question Modi and Amit shah where do they see opposition? is there any opposition to the BJP all through India except in W Bengal. It is only mamata Banerjee which is seen as strongest pillar of opposition. It is mamata who from the very beginning have said that in W Bengal we will not allow implementation of CAA, NPR and NRC. Where else? Congress’s Sashi Tharoor has called opposition of state Govt.as political, Kapil Sibbal and Khurshid of Congress have said once a bill is passed in parliament no state Govt. can refuse to implement this. It is you Mr. Amit Shah who once said that if a State Govt. refuses to implement central law we will impose President rule but you stopped talking that. Now why you are campaigning the same with central and state Govt. bearing the cost for BJP meeting?
Amit Shah and Modi must answer why they had to cancel their meetings in Assam since their own Govt. is there but people oppose CAA, NPR and NRC. Why Meghalaya Govt. and its people are against CAA, NPR and NRC. Why is manipur granted ILC only for saving your skin from people protests. So it is BJP govt. in many states including the BIHAR that are opposing these acts.
Development?? Just like UP, Bihar.. isnt it.
Never mind giving out Political Rhetoric about having goals of 2/3rds majority in 2021 in Bengal, Amit Shah. How about you having the Decency expected of a Human Being, let alone Home Minister, and mentioning the Delhi Riots of last week that killed 42 people (so far) and injured over 200? The recent Delhi Election Speeches given out by You and other BJP Leaders set the whole thing up to happen and we all know it. You and Kapil Mishra need to be Prosecuted in the Courts for doing it.
The “Truth” I wrote needs to be “Modified” eh? That`s very disappointing.
This one boasted 350 LS seats. Tune out the motor mouth.
Spreading hatred is in blood of Tadipaar.
Amit Shah keeps on defending CAA which he should have discussed with all parties before introducing into the parliament. This has caused a lot of unease among some communities which he has not been able to dispel. Having said that the opposition too have been harping on wrong issues merely as a political gimmick. Our Courts should study the law and clarify if it goes against our Constitution.
At every state election Shah declares that his party will win. They havn’t so far. BJP succeeding to get an unprecedented majority in the next election in West Bengal seems bleak.
It is sad the Home Minister did not crack down on his party workers led by Kapil Misra who is still ranting and raving around. We cannot have this communal divide in our country. It will be a huge disaster.
CAA was a totally unnecessary Act. Even under the existing Act, the IB said there were only 31313 Pak and Bangla nationals who had LOng Term visas and who applied for citizenship. Previously, between 2003 and 2015, 5223 Pak Hindus had been granted citizenship. Between 2015 and 2017, the number was 1406.The process was slow but it was going on. All that was needed for the 31313 pending applications was a more efficient processing. What was the need for CAA then ? It looks that it was needed for the BJP to FALSELY claim that lakhs of migrant HIndus will be given citizenship , and thus appear as heroes.’