Mamata Banerjee says she called on PM as “constitutional courtesy”, requested him to rethink CAA-NRC-NPR

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee met on Saturday at Raj Bhawan, amidst protests across Kolkata against the former’s visit. There are ongoing protests across the country – including in Kolkata and elsewhere in West Bengal against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre’s decision to implement the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The PM is on a two days’ visit in Kolkata.

Banerjee, who has been the fiercest critic of the CAA told journalists – after the meeting – that she had called on the PM as a gesture of “constitutional courtesy”. She added that she had requested the PM to rethink the CAA, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR) as these sought to divide and discriminate among people. She has told the PM that she and her party want the CAA, NRC and the NPR to be withdrawn, Banerjee said.

Banerjee added that she had requested the PM to ensure no one is driven out of the country or tortured as a consequence of implementing the CAA, NRC or the NPR.

She said she had raised the issue of pending Rs. 38,000 crore that West Bengal is yet to receive from the Centre under various programmes. The PM promised to her that he would look into the matter and may hold talks on CAA-NRC-NPR “if he gets the opportunity”.

Some leaders of the opposition in Bengal refused to take all this without a pinch of salt. Senior Left leader Mohammed Salim said that Banerjee has changed her allegiance and sided with the BJP and her ongoing protests against CAA, NRC and NPR were fake.