Mamata Banerjee says Centre using NRC and CAB to divert attention from economic slowdown, calls them two sides of same coin

Kolkata: Slamming the Centre over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, expected to be tabled on December 9, and its proposal for pan India NRC, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said both were against the basic principles of the Indian Constitution. Claiming that at least 30 people have committed suicide in the state due to panic over the NRC, Banerjee said in a secular country like India, citizenship can never be accorded on the basis of religion. [caption id=“attachment_6221611” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Mamata Banerjee. PTI[/caption] But if citizenship is given to each and every refugee, irrespective of religion and community, Banerjee said, she would support the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB). The bill seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who have fled Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan following religious persection there, after six years of residence in India. The CAB, when passed by Parliament, will amend the Citizenship Act of 1955. Both the NRC and the CAB are being used to divert attention of people from the ongoing economic slowdown in the country, Banerjee, also the TMC supremo said while addressing a party rally. “The NRC and CAB are both sides of the same coin. Will oppose them tooth and nail,” the chief minister said. The CAB was passed by the Lok Sabha earlier this year but lapsed with the term of the previous Lok Sabha. “You (BJP) can pass CAB in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as you have majority. But we will not accept it and will oppose till the end. There can’t be differentiation on the basis on religion. India is a secular country,” she said. Referring to the recent Unnao incident in Uttar Pradesh where a rape victim was set on fire, Banerjee said the state’s BJP government had not provided security to the victim. “Both the Hyderabad and Unnao incidents are shameful. My heart bleeds for the victims. There should be stringent laws to deal with such crimes,” the chief minister said.