Trinamool student arm to start indefinite sit-in against CAA

 In what could turn out to be the Bengal version of Delhi's Shaheen Bagh protest, the Trinamool Congress' student arm will start an indefinite sit-in against the new citizenship law in the heart of the city from Friday.

Making the announcement, party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad would hold the demonstration on Rani Rashmoni road in central Kolkata.

"The sit-in demonstration will continue till we take any fresh decision," Banerjee said in Madyhyamgram of 24 Parganas North district before leading a protest rally against the Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Population Register and a proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens.

The TMCP's programme would be the second such indefinite protest in Kolkata on the lines of the sit-in in Shaheen Bagh of Delhi.

Since Janaury 7, men, women and students have been holding a sit-in at south Kolkata's Park Circus demanding scrapping of CAA, NPR and a nationwide NRC.

Banerjee, who has been holding a series of rallies and meetings in Kolkata and the districts on these issues, reminded the audience that Trinamool-ruled Bengal was the first state in the country to pass a resolution in the assembly ruling out any NRC exercise in the state.

On September 6, the Assembly passed the resolution opposing the NRC in Assam with the backing of members ruling Trinamool Congress and opposition Left Front and the Congress. The BJP was the only party that opposed the resolution that sailed through after a three-hour debate.

"We don't accept any division among people on religious, caste or economic considerations... Our mantra is united India, united Bengal and all-faith coordination," said Banerjee.

The Trinamool Congress supremo said the movement against the erstwhile Citizenship Amendment Bill (now the CAA) had started in Bengal.

"Bengal started the movement. When no one else knew anything about it, we built the movement from Bengal. Now entire India is aware of it. I appeal to everybody to protest peacefully Aand democratically against this inhuman, monstrous law," she said.

Reiterating that neither CAA, nor NPR or NRC will be allowed in Bengal, Banerjee urged people to have faith in her. "If you have faith in me, I can tell you that I won't let even one person leave Bengal."

She targeted the Left parties and the Congress, which have been stridently raising the pitch on the same issues. Hours earlier, the Left and the Congress had boycotted the business advisory committee meeting of the state assembly decrying the rejection of their proposal to pass a resolution in the House against the CAA.

On Wednesday, the Left and the Congress had aggressively hit the streets in Bengal to enforce the all India general strike called by ten central trade unions, where the CAA, NRC and NPR issues figured prominently.

"Some people are trying to fish in troubled waters. Be careful about them. They are torching vehicles, planting bomb under trains," Banerjee said, referring to the arson and vandalism that took place during Wednesday's strike.

The Trinamool protest rally ended at the Barasat court ground.IANS