She claimed that claiming that the notified rules of the CAA were “ambiguous, unconstitutional and discriminatory”.

While addressing a programme at Habra in North 24 Parganas district, Banerjee was quoted by PTI as saying that the CAA was merely a precursor to implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) across the country.

“I urge people to think several times before applying for citizenship under the law. That’s because the rules provide no clarity on what happens to the status of existing citizens once they make a fresh application. I apprehend that existing citizens would automatically be first designated as illegal immigrants and then left at the mercy of the committee to grant them citizenship afresh,” she said.

Banerjee added, “Those not found qualified would be sent to detention camps. It’s a ploy to snatch away citizenship rights, not granting them one.” She maintained that she took legal opinions on the matter before reaching this conclusion, PTI reported.

“The rules provided no clarity on the status of existing assets and properties of such disqualified applicants and whether those will be confiscated,” Banerjee said. She asserted that the Act remained silent about the status of SCs, STs and OBCs.

The CAA, notified by the Union home ministry on Monday, seeks to grant citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.

Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress had planned a roadshow to protest against the CAA in Siliguri, West Bengal, on Wednesday. However, the roadshow was canceled later.

Mamata Banerjee also claimed that the programmed inaugurated by the BJP were initiated by her. “I have spent lakhs of crores for the development of Bengal…Delhi Metro would not have been possible if I was not the Railways Minister at that time. I started Railway Vikas Corporation in Mumbai. I bought the anti-collision device…,” Banerjee said.