“They Have Again Started...”: Mamata Banerjee’s First Reaction After Union Minister Claims CAA Implementation Within 7 Days

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, accusing the party of resuming the "CAA CAA" chant for electoral gains as the Lok Sabha elections approach. Speaking at a public distribution program in Cooch Behar, Banerjee stated, "We have fought against the NRC. Rajbanshis are citizens of India. They have again started shouting CAA, CAA for the sake of votes."

Her remarks followed Union Minister Shantanu Thakur's statement on Sunday, asserting that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) would be implemented across the country within a week. Mamata Banerjee countered by affirming that her government recognizes all colonies as "permanent addresses" and asserted that residents benefiting from various state government programs are indeed citizens.

"All of you are citizens. We have given permanent addresses to all colonies. They get ration, go to school, get scholarships, get Kisan Bandhu, Shikhashree, Oikoshree, Laxmir Bhandar. How could they get these benefits if they had not been citizens? Had they been able to cast votes if they were not citizens?" questioned Banerjee.

The CAA, introduced by the Narendra Modi government, aims to confer Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants - including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians - who migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and arrived in India before December 31, 2014. Following the passage of the CAA by Parliament in December 2019 and its subsequent Presidential assent, significant protests erupted in various parts of the country.