West Bengal will pass anti-CAA resolution: CM Mamata Banerjee

KOLKATA/SILIGURI: Ramping up the rhetoric against the new citizenship law and the BJP government at the Centre, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said in Kolkata on Monday that the state assembly would pass a resolution against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
She also appealed to all north-eastern and opposition parties to "study" the National Population Register (NPR) directives before implementing them; she pointed out some "contentious columns" introduced in the NPR form "to pave the way for a countrywide National Register of Citizens (NRC)".
"We will pass a resolution against CAA. There can be an all-opposition party meet in Kolkata. The Centre should remove all clauses in NPR that support NRC," Mamata said. "I appeal to all state governments in the northeast, including Tripura and Assam, to know the law before taking a decision on NPR. It is a dangerous game and totally related to NRC and CAA. Pass a resolution everywhere to withdraw CAA," the Bengal CM urged in Kolkata before leaving for Siliguri in north Bengal.
The CM iterated her NPR apprehensions during the inauguration of the Uttarbanga Utsav in Siliguri. "The NPR authorities have introduced a column in the form, where people have to mention parents' dates and places of birth. But where do I get my parents' birth certificates from?" she asked.
"The NPR form is just like a mark sheet. One has to fill in each and every column of the form just like one has to pass subjects mentioned in a mark sheet. So, if you leave a column empty in the NPR form, it may be deemed incomplete," Banerjee said, explaining her fears. But she also reassured the public: "Don't worry. We are your watchdog."