Bengal BJP holds rallies, meetings backing CAA

Amid swirling protests against the new citizenship law, the Bharatiya Janata Party's West Bengal on Thursday brought out rallies and held meetings backing the legislation and raising awareness over it in the city and various districts.

BJP state President Dilip Ghosh took part in a mega rally in Midnapore town of West Midnapore district backing the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Ghosh said the rampant violence seen in West Bengal recently as part of the anti-CAA protests has underscored the need to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state without delay.

"Not a single Indian would feel like destroying national property like railway stations and trains. Those who ravaged public property and created a pandemonium in our state for three-four days with the backing of the present Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) are India's enemies. These elements can be identified ly through the NRC," he said.

BJP General Secretary in-charge of the state Kailash Vijayvargiya attended a meeting of Matua community, the lower caste Hindus who came to Bengal as refugees from Bangladesh over the decades, and said the members of the community would be given citizenship within 100 days.

"Mamata Banerjee has only given shelter to infiltrators from Bangladesh with an eye on keeping intact her vote bank. Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to give citizenship to all of you when he met Matua community members. He has kept his promise," Vijayvargiya said during the meeting organised by the Matua Mahasangh at Jyotinagar.

He said the Mahasangh was eager to bring the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to the state to thank them for keeping their pledge.

State party General Secretary Sayantan Basu addressed a public meeting on CAA in West Midnapore district's Garbeta, while an awareness rally on the law was taken out from Ballygunge Science College to Bondel Gate in south Kolkata.

The party has also decided to bring out a 'megal rally' in Kolkata on December 23 in support of CAA, where BJP's Working President J.P. Nadda would be present.

( With inputs from IANS )