Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee today called for a “referendum” on the CAA-NRC under the United Nation’s (UN) supervision in the country and dared the Prime Minister to accept the challenge, saying should the outcome turn out to be against the Act, he should be ready to put in his papers. In an open dare to the Prime Minister at a rally of the Trinamul Youth Congress at Rani Rashmoni Avenue, Miss Banerjee threw down the gauntlet of a “referendum” under UN supervision, She said, “ The Prime Minister should accept the challenge of a referendum on CAA-NRC under UN supervision. A neutral panel consisting of experts from the UN and Human Rights commission should be formed to supervise the referendum. No political party, neither BJP nor Trinamul or other parties would be part of the panel. No religious groups, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Parsis, would be there.

We want to see how many cast vote in favour of CAA-NRC and how many against the black Act. And should the referendum turn out to be against the Act, the Prime Minister should be ready to offer his resignation.” Reaffirming her resolve not to implement the CAANRC in the state at any cost and asking people to continue the mass movement until the Centre was forced into repealing the “black Act”, she said, “ We are all citizens of the country. We don’t need to prove our credentials as citizens of the country by producing the date of birth certificates of our parents as the Centre is trying to make us.”

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“Rendering the much sought-after Aadhaar, PAN, electors photo Identity Card (EPIC) toothless, they are now trying to enact a mockery by demanding date of birth certificates of our parents and made 24 March of 1971 as the cut off date for attaining the citizenship of the country,” she said. The Trinamul chief said, “If the birth certificates of our parents are to be criteria for citizenship the same must be applied to the leaders of the BJP too. Would they be ready to furnish that certificate? Or will only those sporting the amulet of the BJP be eligible for attaining the citizenship of the country?” Exhorting the youths and students present at the rally, Ms Banerjee asked them to put a stop to the BJP’s game of divisive politics, “Put a stop to the game of divisive politics that the BJP is playing.

The BJP is trying to drive a wedge between Hindus and Muslims and trying to make it a case between the two communities to reap dividends out of it but we are ready to put a stop to their nefarious design”. She also issued a note of caution to the party workers, asking them to be “careful and alert” to foil the BJP’s plan to ignite further flare-ups by circulating “fake videos’. Miss Banerjee also asked the party activists and the leaders of the party to keep a watch on the electoral roll revision which is underway now and asked party leaders to encourage th young generation enlist their names in the voters’ list.