'Desh-bhakt' people of Bengal stood with PM Modi over CAA: Nadda

Asserting that the people of West Bengal are with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), BJP working president JP Nadda on Monday termed them as 'desh-bhakts' (patriots).

"Today, we have seen that West Bengal stands with Prime Minister Modi and it welcomes the Citizenship Amendment Act. The people of Bengal are 'desh-bhakts,'" Nadda said while addressing a public rally in Shyambazar here.

Hitting out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Nadda said, "Mamata did not even once condemn the violence during protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). Does a Chief Minister make an appeal or take action? A Chief Minister has the power to take action."

"Mamata always put politics first and the country later. She is snatching away the rights of Dalit citizens and is playing vote-bank politics," Nadda alleged.

Accusing Banerjee of curtailing development in the state, Nadda said: "Being a Health Minister, I wanted to implement Ayushman Bharat Yojana here. Prime Minister Modi also wanted it for the poor. However, she said it will not be implemented in West Bengal."

In a scathing attack on the Congress, Nadda asserted that the party is not worried about the country but their vote bank.

"Manmohan Singh had said to LK Advani that minorities faced persecution after partition in countries like Bangladesh and that it was our moral obligation to grant citizenship to people who have sought refuge in our country," Nadda said.

The CAA grants citizenship to refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who arrived in India until December 31, 2014.