The city witnessed demonstrations both in support of and against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), on Sunday.
Though the police had extended section 144 and imposed prohibitory orders banning the assembly of 5 or more persons in public places, the BJP supporters were given permission to assemble in the Oval Grounds adjoining the Deputy Commissioner’s office. The Congress supporters too assembled in front of the Gandhi Square near Town Hall but both the groups were denied permission to take out a procession.
Members of the Yuva Brigade, supportive of the Act, distributed pamphlets with questions and answers pertaining to the salient features of the CAA in a bid to allay fears aired by the opponents. It claimed that the Act was not against any community and went on to attribute the nationwide agitation and the spiralling violence to the ‘machinations’ of the Congress. The BJP accused the Congress of trying to instigate violence and infuse fear in the minds of the minorities.
Meanwhile, the Congress workers and supporters led by Yathindra Siddaramaiah assembled at Gandhi Square and staged a demonstration against NAA. The Congress described the Act as violating the basic tenets of the Constitution and expressed fears that this was BJP’s game plan to usher in a “Hindu Rashtra and muzzle the voice of the religious minorities”. The Congress leaders also flayed the BJP government in Karnataka for imposing section 144 and accused it of behaving in a dictatorial manner.
Mr. Yathindra questioned the necessity of imposing section 144 in the city when there was no disturbance of any kind. The police have refused to provide a valid reason for imposing the same, he added stating that all those protesting cannot be construed as rowdy or anti-social elements and this amounted to insulting the people.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Ashwath Narayan said people have been misled into protests when they should have actually welcomed the CAA. He said religious minorities in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh have been persecuted many of whom have sough refuge in India and the Act has resolved certain anomalies that will pave way for providing citizenship to them. The Act is meant to extend citizenship and not to take it away from any community members, he added.
Mr.Ashwath Narayan refuted allegations that the BJP was suppressing the right to dissent or had turned dictatorial. “There are vested interest groups who have a track record of creating disturbance in society’’, he said and blamed the Congress and other Opposition groups for the violence that rocked Mangaluru. He defended the imposition of prohibitory orders as a measure to prevent any untoward incident.
