Starting national mission from Kolkata to protect India's heritage: PM Modi

On a 2-day official visit to Kolkata, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that his government is starting a national mission from Kolkata to protect the culture, traditions and heritage of India.

"Today is a key day for India's culture and heritage, not just for West Bengal but for entire India. We're starting a national mission today from Kolkata to re-invent, replan, re-innovate and protect the culture, traditions and heritage of India," the PM said.

"It is the endeavour of the Central Government to keep India's cultural potential in a new form before the world so that India emerges as a major centre of heritage tourism in the world. It has also been decided that 5 iconic museums in the country will be made of International Standard. It is being launched from the Indian Museum Kolkata, one of the oldest museums in the world." PM Modi added.

He also said that a museum called 'Biplobi Bharat' should be established in the state in which Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Aurobindo Ghosh, Rash Bihari Bose, Khudiram Bose, Deshbandhu, Bagha Jatin, Binoy, Badal, Dinesh, every such great freedom fighter should be given a place.

PM Modi also unveiled a statue at Old Currency Building in Kolkata where West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar was present.

He also took part in the 150th-anniversary celebrations of the Kolkata Port Trust where he unveiled the Dynamic Architectural Illumination with synchronised light & sound system of Rabindra Setu.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was present alongside Narendra Modi in the event.

#WATCH West Bengal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled Dynamic Architectural Illumination with synchronised light & sound system of Rabindra Setu (Howrah Bridge) today, as a part of 150th anniversary celebrations of #Kolkata Port Trust pic.twitter.com/qzOFQBShJb

— ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2020

Meanwhile, leftist student organisations also held protests in various parts of the city against JNU violence & PM Modi's visit. 

Earlier in the day, Mamata Banerjee met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Raj Bhavan and demanded rollback of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and scrapping of proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Prime Minister Modi is in Kolkata on January 11-12 (Saturday-Sunday) as part of a two-day official visit.

The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress has been opposed to CAA and NRC from the beginning, even making this into a citizenship issue. Since student protests have become the face of anti-CAA-NRC protests elsewhere in the country, the TMC, too, is looking to mobilise popular support through the party's students wing.