Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has opposed the CAA and NRC in her state
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee responded to BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya's bizarre remark linking poha and Bangladeshi labourers, asking the party who had given it authority to make comments on diet and attire. The Trinamool Congress chief also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a comment made last month in which he said those involved in arson during protests against the citizenship law - seen by critics as being discriminatory against Muslims - could be "identified by their clothes".
"Who gave them (the BJP) the right to make such remarks? Can you determine someone's nationality just by seeing him eat poha? Will you be able to verify someone's nationality based on clothes he or she is wearing?" Ms Banerjee demanded at workshop of her party's student wing in Kolkata.
Last week Mr Vijayvargiya claimed the "strange eating habits" of construction workers outside his residence had aroused suspicion about their nationality. He claimed the fact they ate only poha - a dish made of flattened rice that forms a staple diet for the poorer sections of society because it is filling and cheap - led him to suspect they were from Bangladesh.
The BJP leader, who made his comment during a rally in support of the citizenship law, was heavily trolled on Twitter for his remark.
Mamata Banerjee has stepped up protests against the citizenship law as she and her Trinamool Congress fight the BJP's attempts to gain more ground in Bengal ahead of elections due in 2021.
This evening Bengal became the fourth state, after Left-ruled Kerala and Congress-ruled Punjab and Rajasthan - to pass anti-CAA resolutions in the state Assembly.
"In Bengal, we won't allow CAA, NPR, and NRC. We will fight peacefully," Ms Banerjee said during her address at the state assembly, adding that labels like "doubtful citizens" was unacceptable.
Ms Banerjee's comment also referenced one made by the Prime Minister during campaigning for Jharkhand elections last month, in which he said "people setting fire (to property) can be seen on TV. They can be identified by the clothes they are wearing".
The Bengal Chief Minister had sharp words for the PM's comment at that time as well, demanding to know if he could "make out what I am wearing... is it bad?"
The Citizenship Amendment Act, or CAA, which is the first time religion will be used as a test of citizenship, makes it easier for non-Muslims from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh to get Indian citizenship if they are fleeing religious persecution.