West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday in a fresh attack on the newly notified Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), said she does not want ‘detention camps in Bengal just like in Assam’. "The CAA is related to NRC, that is why we are opposing it. We don't want detention camps like those in Assam," the Trinamool Congress chief was quoted by PTI as saying.

According to an HT report, the Assam government in 2009 notified detention centres to house people “declared foreigners” by tribunals till they are deported. These centres were created inside jails as a temporary measure till a permanent place was constructed or found to keep them. The state's largest detention centre, the Matia Transit Camp, became operational in January last year. It is built on a 28,800 sq. ft area in Goalpara, about 130km from state capital Dispur.

Continuing her attack on CAA, Banerjee termed the law as a ‘political gimmick’ ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

As per the law, the Centre will now start granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, who came to India till December 31, 2014. These include Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians.

Mamata Banerjee criticised the exclusion of Muslims from the ambit of the CAA, asserting that it aims at creating division among the country's populace.

"The CAA is aimed at dividing the people of the country," she added.

"We are not landlords, but vigilant custodians. No one will be ousted from West Bengal. All refugees will find permanent settlement here," Banerjee pledged at a programme in Jalpaiguri.

Banerjee also rebuked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that it espouses a "distorted interpretation of Hinduism".

"The BJP's conception of Hinduism deviates from the teachings of the Vedas and Swami Vivekananda," the Bengal chief minister said.(With PTI inputs)

Culled from Hindustan Times