Kolkata, Dec 17 (TIWN) With thousands joining in, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday led a huge protest march against the NRC and the CAA through the heart of Kolkata and administered a pledge to people not to allow any National Register of Citizens exercise and implementation of the controversial citizenship law in the state.

Sports and cultural personalities, educationists and other civil society members were part of the march which increased in size with every minute after starting from the base of B.R. Ambedkar's statue on Indira Gandhi Sarani (erstwhile Red Road).  Ahead of the rally, Banerjee garlanded Ambedkar's statue and administered a pledge to the participants, calling for peace and harmony of all religions and emphasised that nobody would have to leave Bengal.  "We are all citizens. Our ideal is harmony of all religions. We won't let anyone leave Bengal. We will live in peace and free of anxiety. We won't allow NRC and CAA in Bengal. We have to maintain peace," read the pledge.  Banerjee said though the rally has been called by the Trinamool, all were welcome as "when the country passes through danger, one has to take everybody along".  "We have assembled before Ambedkar's statue because he drafted our Constitution which is now in danger. We respect the Constitution. We will walk for a united, sovereign and secular India.  "Bengal stands united to keep a united India. No NRC, no CAA, we want peace. This is our slogan. Through a democratic and peaceful movement, we will join the protests articulated by people across the country," she said to tumultuous applause.