TMC set to pass anti-CAA resolution in West Bengal Assembly today; after Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, becomes 4th state to reject law

The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal is all set to bring a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act in the West Bengal Assembly on Monday, the fourth such state to do so after Kerala, Punjab and Rajasthan passed resolutions against the contentious law.

The TMC's decision comes amid mounting criticism by the major anti-BJP parties in the state for not passing a resolution opposing CAA.

State parliamentary affairs minister Partha Chatterjee said the TMC had submitted a resolution under rule 169 to the Assembly Speaker on 20 January, which will come up in the House on 27 January.

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Faced by a lot of "rumours and canards" from the fellow Opposition parties over its position regarding CAA and National Population Register, Chatterjee said they "do not need lessons from others on how to continue its fight against CAA-NPR-NRC".

He said they would appeal to all the Opposition parties to extend support to the resolution so that it’s approved unanimously.

Adoption of the resolution in the House would not be a difficult task considering the fact that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's party on its own enjoys an overwhelming majority in the 295-member Bengal Assembly.

File image of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. PTI

When asked whether the government was also mulling to move to the Supreme Court to challenge the law, Chatterjee said: "The government and the party will fight it out on the streets and then take a call if needed, whether to move a court or not."

After Kerala and Punjab, Rajasthan became the third state to pass a resolution against the CAA last week. Even Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had said the state Assembly may pass a resolution against the CAA. Rao said he has already spoken to many of his counterparts in other states and he may convene a conclave of regional parties and chief ministers to oppose the CAA since it concerns the country's future.

The Left Front and the Congress have been criticising the TMC government for not adopting a resolution against the CAA. The West Bengal Assembly has earlier passed an all-party resolution, baring BJP, against NRC in September last year.

In January this year, during a one-day special session, the Congress and Left Front wanted to bring a resolution against CAA. But their demand was turned down by the government, drawing sharp criticism from both the parties which had termed TMC as "B team" of the BJP in Bengal.

Banerjee's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kolkata on 11 January had further sharpened the charge of a "political match-fixing between the two parties".

The TMC had trashed the allegations as baseless. Congress and the Left Front have welcomed the TMC's move to bring the resolution as a "positive step".

Praising the initiative, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Abdul Mannan of the Congress said it's better that the TMC realised the necessity for such a resolution.

"When we had said, they had opposed it. But it is better TMC has decided to bring it, at least they have realised the need for such a resolution," Mannan said.

Left Front Legislature Party leader Sujan Chakraborty said: "We want an anti-CAA resolution to be passed but, would not take a call unless and until we have a look at the resolution brought in by the TMC government."

BJP legislature party leader Manoj Tigga said they would oppose the move as it is "unconstitutional" to bring a resolution against a law (CAA) which has been passed in the Parliament.

The new legislation to give citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim refugees from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan, has emerged as the latest flashpoint in the state, with the TMC opposing the contentious legislation tooth and nail, and the BJP pressing for its implementation.

With inputs from PTI