JOIN USChief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit the streets of Kolkata on Monday along with thousands of partymen and vowed not to allow the proposed country-wide NRC and the amended Citizenship Act in West Bengal.
The TMC supremo began the protest march from Red Road in heart of the city, and it is set to culminate at Jorasakho Thakur Bari, the residence of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in north Kolkata, around 4 km away.
"We will never allow NRC and CAA in Bengal. No one will be ousted from the state. We believe in the coexistence of all religions, caste, and creed," Banerjee said as she read out an 'oath' for her party workers.
"All of us are citizens of this country, no one can take that away from us," she said.
For three consecutive days, Banerjee, who has been at the forefront in opposing the NRC and the citizenship law, will conduct mega rallies crisscrossing the city and neighbouring Howrah in protest against the law.
Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has dubbed the rallies as an "unconstitutional and inflammatory act" and has urged the chief minister to devote time to retrieve the grim situation.
The state has seen several incidents of arson and vandalisation in the past few days by people protesting against the law.