Mamata has no option but to abide by citizenship law: WB guv

Criticising West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her assertion that she would not implement the new Citizenship Act, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday said a person holding a constitutional post cannot oppose a law.

His statement came hours after Banerjee, who had been vociferously opposing the Citizenship Act and National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise, declared that the amended law will not be enacted in Bengal.

"It is no longer a bill, but a law. The Parliament had cleared the Bill, following which the President gave his assent. So a chief minister, who is holding a constitutional post and has taken oath of the Indian Constitution, can't just say that she will not implement the law," Dhankhar said.

Dhankhar has been engaged in a face-off with the TMC government over a host of issues, since assuming charge as the governor of West Bengal.

In the wake of the ongoing protests across the state over the amended Act, the governor also appealed to people to maintain peace and calm and not take law in their own hands.