Mamata Banerjee on protesting CAA-NRC: democracy succeeds if the majority backs minorities & vice versa

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee today said that a democracy succeeds if the majority population backs and supports the minorities. She appealed to people however, to take to peaceful means and continue with the protests, and avoid violence that can only backfire.

She was addressing people at a public meeting on Tuesday opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register for Citizens (NRC). She led the mega-rally that started from 8B bus stand in Kolkata’s Jadavpur and ended at Jadubabur Bazar at Bhowanipore. Another march is scheduled tomorrow from Howrah to Esplanade.
Banerjee said that it would be wrong to suppose that the CAA would not affect everyone. “When a wave comes, it doesn’t choose whom it will affect. It causes harm to everyone. No one will be spared,” she said.

The Bengal CM today mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments on “clothes” without mentioning his name. “How can one say that miscreants can be identified on the basis of the clothes they are wearing?” she asked. PM Modi had said at an election rally in Jharkhand recently that those engaged in arson can be identified by their clothes. This has sparked debates that it was targeted at Muslims.

Banerjee said that a bill can be passed by majority in the Parliament, but in order to implement it, one needs people’s support. BJP hasn’t abided by the Constitution to implement the CAA in this case as people don’t support it, Banerjee said.

She also said that the information was not passed to the parties on time before passing the bill in the Parliament and that’s how several MPs from her party could not attend it, she said. Several MPs from the Trinamool Congress were not present in the Lok Sabha when the voting on the bill was conducted, and have been criticised for staying away.
Banerjee said the prices of essential commodities including onions and potatoes across the country had soared, there was an economic slump in the country, but the BJP government was silent on these things and was trying to divert attention from the main issues.