West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he targeted the TMC chief for her opposition to Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Using her Twitter handle, Banerjee said the Prime Minister is contradicting Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC). “Whatever I said is there in public forum, whatever you said is there for people to judge. With #PM contradicting #HomeMinister publicly on Nationwide NRC, who is dividing fundamental idea of India? People will definitely decide who is right & who is wrong #IRejectCAA #IRejectNRC,” she tweeted. Banerjee made the remarks after the PM said, “From the time my government came in 2014 till today, I want to tell this truth to 130 crore people of this country, that there has been no discussion on NRC. No talk at all.” The PM was addressing a rally organised by the ruling BJP at the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi. Modi took a dig at Banerjee for demanding a UN-monitored referendum on CAA and asked why was she scared of the new citizenship law. Challenging the Modi government to go for a UN-monitored referendum over the amended Citizenship Act and the proposed nationwide NRC, Banerjee had recently said the BJP would have to quit if it failed such a “mass vote”. However, later the TMC chief on the UN-monitored referendum on the CAA and nationwide NRC said that she had only suggested that a opinion poll be conducted by impartial experts of the country, the process of which could be observed by the UN. The PM also criticised her for announcing that her government will not implement CAA and urged her to consult with lawyers whether it was possible not to implement the law of the land. TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee, however, said the BJP was scared of Banerjee as she has been spearheading the protest against CAA. “Mamata Banerjee is speaking on behalf of the people and fighting for their rights. She took to the streets to fight for the people. Now when she is with the people, the BJP has got scared. She is now the topic of their discussion as they know very well that she is the real force behind the protests against CAA,” Chatterjee told reporters. During the rally on Sunday, the PM accused Banerjee of changing her earlier stand on infiltrators due to “vote-bank” politics. Banerjee used to plead in Parliament to stop Bangladeshi infiltrators from coming to West Bengal and seek help for persecuted refugees from the neighbouring country, but she had changed her stand now due to political reasons, Modi said. Modi accused the CM of “spreading rumours” and being “scared”, keeping in mind the 2021 Assembly polls. “Didi, what has happened to you? Why have you changed and why are you spreading rumours? Elections and power come and go, why are you so scared? Have faith in the people of Bengal,” he said. (With PTI inputs)
