Mamta Banerjee said that she will not allow NRC and Citizenship Amendment Bill in West Bengal at any cost

Criticizing the amendment in the citizenship law by the BJP-led central government, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said that she will not allow it to be implemented in her state under any circumstances.

Mamta Banerjee said, ‘We will never allow the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Act in Bengal. We will not implement amendments to the citizenship law, even if it has been passed by the Parliament. The BJP cannot force the states to implement it. Announcing a series of protests in the state, the Chief Minister said that she has also cancelled the proposed Delhi visit to attend a meeting related to the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi. She said, ‘The citizenship law will divide India. While we are in power, not even a single person of the state will leave the country.’

Referring to the proposed Assam visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Mamta said that it would be a ‘blot’ on the country’s reputation if he cancelled his visit due to opposition to the citizenship law in the Northeast. Shinzo Abe has cancelled his Guwahati tour in view of the situation in Assam.