Mamata has no faith in institutions of India: Nirmala Sitharaman

Slamming West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for demanding United Nations intervention on Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday questioned the TMC chief's faith over the national institutions.

"We never wanted a third party or international fora's interference in our affairs. On a completely domestic matter, she has chosen to ask for United Nation. Does she have no faith in institutions of India?," asked Sitharaman while talking to ANI.

"I totally condemn her statement. And it is irresponsible of a chief minister to talk like that," she added.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday demanded that an "impartial organisation" like United Nations should form a committee to see how many people were in favour of Citizenship Amendment Act.

"Let there be an impartial organisation like United Nations or Human Rights Commission ...form a committee to see how many people are in favour or against the Citizenship Amendment Act," she had said while addressing a gathering in Kolkata.

Banerjee has been vehemently opposing the amended Citizenship Act and has said that she will not allow the legislation to be implemented in West Bengal. Several other non-BJP chief ministers have also echoed similar views.

Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, which seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and came to India on or before December 31, 2014.