Today in Politics: Mamata to lead anti-CAA roadshow in Siliguri; what next for JJP?

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee will lead a roadshow in Siliguri on Wednesday to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and a proposed National Register of Citizens. This comes a day after Mamata called the Act “unconstitutional and discriminatory” and told people of the state not to apply for citizenship as they would be “marked as refugees and infiltrators … deprived of government schemes”.

She made the comments at an event in Habra in North 24 Parganas districts, where most of the state’s Matua population reside. The Matuas, who are refugees from present-day Bangladesh, are an electorally crucial group and their support helped the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Most of them are in favour of the CAA as it will help expedite their citizenship process.

In Assam, protests have been going on for several weeks ever since Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the government’s intention to notify the rules of the CAA before the Lok Sabha elections. The 16-party United Opposition Forum Assam (UOFA), the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and 30 non-political indigenous organisations organised a series of protests, including when Modi visited the state earlier this week. On Tuesday, there was a statewide hartal in the state and an AASU delegation travelled to Delhi to pursue a petition against the Act in the Supreme Court. On Wednesday, the group, among others, is expected to launch a satyagraha.

A day after the BJP appointed its Haryana state president Nayab Singh Saini the new Chief Minister, he is likely to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly. Saini on Tuesday asked Governor Bandaru Dattatreya to summon a session of the Assembly. In addition to its 41 MLAs, the BJP has the support of six