KOLKATA:Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged on Monday that a few people were paid by the BJP to perpetrate violence in the state, even as she blamed some
powers from outside West Bengal “acting as friends” of the
Muslim community for vandalism and arson.
The TMC supremo, who led a mega rally from Red Road to Jorasanko Thakur Bari, the residence of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in north Kolkata, vowed not to implement
the amended Citizenship Act and the NRC in Bengal and dared the Centre to dismiss her government.
“There are some forces from outside the state, who are acting as friends of minorities and have indulged in this violence. These forces are stooges of the BJP, don’t fall into
their trap,” Banerjee told party members.
“As long as I am alive, I will never implement the citizenship law or NRC in the state. You can very well dismiss my government or put me behind bars but I will never implement
this black law. I will continue to protest democratically till this law is scrapped,” she said hitting out at the BJP. The chief minister also condemned the police action on
students at Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi and said it should not have happened.
Slamming the BJP, Banerjee said the party should take care of the states it rules in Northeast before “lecturing others” on law and order. She also said that just because a few trains were set on fire, the Centre has stopped railway services in most parts
of the state.
Banerjee, who has been at the forefront in opposing the NRC and the citizenship law, is leading mega rallies crisscrossing the city and neighbouring Howrah in protest
against the law for three consecutive days, beginning with the Red Road-Jorasanko rally.
Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has dubbed the rallies as “unconstitutional and inflammatory act” and urged the chief minister to devote time to “retrieve the grim situation”.
The state has seen several incidents of arson and vandalisation in the past few days by people protesting against the law. (agencies)
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