KOLKATA: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday reiterated that the Centre would implement the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act once the Covid waves subside. Speaking at a function in north Bengal’s Siliguri, Shah accused the Trinamool Congress of “misleading” people on the Act. “The TMC is misleading people by saying we will not be able to implement the CAA. I would like to make it clear that the CAA would definitely be implemented once the Covid situation subsides.”
Meanwhile, a bitter war of words broke out between Shah and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during the former’s first visit to the state after the BJP’s debacle in the 2021 Assembly polls.
Mamata was quick to retort to Shah’s remarks on the CAA by saying that the Act would not be implemented in Bengal. “How could a particular electorate be given citizenship when they had already elected PMs and CMs in the previous elections? The BJP is practicing divisive politics. The people of Bengal have already rejected it,” she said.
Referring to the 2021 Assembly elections, Shah said the BJP accepted the verdict of Bengal’s electorate.
“We took our tally to 77 from three in the Assembly election. We waited for a year as we thought she would rectify herself after coming to power for the third time but nothing changed. The people of the state are still facing atrocities of the ruling party. Don’t think the BJP would be sitting idle.
Our party will continue fighting against the misrule till people vote against the ongoing anarchy,” Shah said in the north Bengal stronghold where the saffron camp had made impressive gains in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Referring to “infiltration” from Bangladesh, Shah said a political situation would emerge when the police and other agencies in the state will join hands with the BSF. Mamata immediately hit out at Shah. “Will he create such a situation in Bengal? Will he be the conspirator? It will never happen. Don’t ask the BSF to overrule the state.”