Joining the near nationwide pushback against the citizenship law, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been marching for the past three days to mark her protest. On Wednesday, she led a march by several thousand party workers and common people, starting from near Howrah Maidan in Kolkata and passing the iconic Howrah Bridge. 

“We will never allow the NRC and the amended Citizenship Act in Bengal. No one will be asked to leave the state,” Banerjee declared before starting the march. “We believe in the coexistence of all religions, castes and creeds. All of us are citizens of this country, no one can take that away from us.”

Afterwards, she urged Amit Shah to maintain peace in the country. She told him to remember that he was not only a BJP leader but the home minister of the country.

She thanked everyone who had walked with her. “Everyone worked really hard these past three days to hold the mega rallies. I salute my people for their trust and support,” Banerjee said. “But I want to clarify why are we doing this protest. We don’t want violence, we want peace, we don’t believe in bullets.”

“Bengal doesn’t know how to do Hindu-Muslim riots,” she added, “But BJP does and is trying to start riots in Bengal. I promise you I won’t let CAA, NRC happen in Bengal.”

Targeting the BJP, she said, “For whatever small incidents have happened in this state, I  have taken action. You are saying shoot them. Is that a democracy? CAB is unconstitutional, undemocratic, illegal. BJP says their aim is ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas’ , but in reality what they have done is ‘sabke saath sarvanash’.”

Here are some snapshots from the march.