“Our country has entered a dark age with the passing of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill by the Bharatiya Janata Party. All citizens of the country must demand withdrawal of the Bill,” said V. Srinivasa Rao, Central Committee Member, Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Members of the CPI(M) staged a protest in the city condemning the Bill, passed by both Houses of Parliament earlier this week. They said that the Bill discriminated against the Muslim community which was a persecuted minority in the country for a long time and also claimed that it was against the principles of the Constitution.
“Both the CAB and the NRC (National Register for Citizens) oppose the very spirit of the Constitution by violating the Fundamental Rights enshrined in it. The BJP must withdraw the Bill and apologise to the citizens for even introducing it,” opined Mr. Rao.
MPs criticised
At the protest, Mr. Rao demanded an explanation from the MPs of the Telugu Desam Party and the YSR Congress Party who supported the Bill in the Rajya Sabha. He said that all the MPs of the State broke the trust of the people by supporting the Bill, which he said was prejudiced against the Muslims. He urged the people to join the countrywide protest which would be held on December 19.
CPI(M) State secretary Ch. Baburao condemned the passing of the Bill and said that the CAB coupled with the NRC had brought forth a sense of widespread fear among the citizens.
“The implementation of the NRC in Assam rendered over 19 lakh people to be Stateless. It is said that people living in the country, especially the persecuted minorities, are being questioned by virtue of their religion,” he said.
Mr. Baburao urged the people to gather and ensure that the protests on December 19 would culminate into a grand success.
