BJP takes out rallies in Bengal in support of citizenship law

BJP workers on Tuesday took out rallies in parts of the state on Tuesday in support of the amended Citizenship Act, even as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asserted that she would not allow its implementation in the state as long as she was alive.

According to reports, a march led by BJP leader Raju Banerjee in Howrah district was stopped midway by police personnel, who put up barricades across the road.

Former BJP member in Lok Sabha Anupam Hazra, who was leading another rally in Behala area of Kolkata, said the ruling party was misleading people over the citizenship law.

He also said that the amended Act wasn't optional and the states would have to enforce it, under all circumstances.

"We want to restore peace in the state. The ruling party in West Bengal is misleading and instigating the people (to foment trouble). The chief minister is adopting a militant stance to create disturbances," he added.

Protests over the amended Citizenship Act had been raging across the state over the past five days, with agitators setting fire to trains, buses, railway station complexes in different areas.

Banerjee, earlier in the day, led a protest rally over the citizenship law -- from Jadavpur 8B bus stand in the city to Jadubabu Bazar in Bhawanipore, around 6.5 km away.

She stressed that the BJP-led central government cannot bully states into implementing the amended Act.