West Bengal BJP to launch massive campaign in favour of CAA

The West Bengal BJP on Monday decided to launch a massive statewide campaign in favour of the CAA and set a target of reaching out to more than one crore people in the next one month.

The state BJP unit on Monday held a brainstorming session on the issue of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), as it has emerged as the latest flashpoint in the state with the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) opposing the legislation tooth and nail.

According to party sources, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh has set a target of reaching out to one crore people across the state in next one month and explain to them the need for implementation of CAA in Bengal, which has a huge number of Hindu refugees.

"The focus of this mass outreach campaign is to allay the unnecessary fears over CAA, that is being spread by TMC in Bengal. The CAA doesn't take away anybody's citizenship, it rather gives citizenship to refugees, who have been religiously persecuted in neighbouring countries," a senior state BJP leader said.

The sources said the party had hoped that the CAA would be its political trump card against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees anti-NRC campaign in the state.

"But things have not moved in our desired direction, due to TMC's aggressive misinformation campaign. Now we would counter it and we are hopeful of getting people's support," a BJP leader said.

During Monday's meeting Ghosh while referring to the recent defeat of the party in three assembly bypolls asked party leaders not to get disheartened by the defeat and to reach out to the masses about the pro-people policies of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and "anti-people" policies of the Mamata Banerjee government in the state.