Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday accused the BJP of “unleashing brute repression against citizens” and said it is the right of every citizen to protest against any wrong policy of the government.
“The BJP government has shown utter disregard for the people’s voices and chosen to use brute force to suppress dissent. This is unacceptable in a democracy,” she said in a video released by the Congress.
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“There have been spontaneous protests at universities, the IITs, the IIMs and other academic institutions throughout the country against the divisive agenda and anti-people policies of the BJP government,” she said. “In a democracy, the people have a right to raise their voice against wrong decisions and policies of the government and register their concerns. Equally, it is the duty of the government to listen to the citizens and address their concerns.”
The Congress president condemned the government’s actions and expressed solidarity with students and citizens in their “just struggle”. She also said the party was committed to “defending the fundamental rights of the citizens and upholding the foundational values of the Constitution”.
“The Citizenship (Amendment) Act [CAA] is discriminatory and the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) will particularly hurt the poor and vulnerable. As at the time of note-bandi [demonetisation], they will have to stand in queue to prove their and their ancestors’ citizenship. The people’s apprehensions are real and legitimate,” she said.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joined a group of students at India Gate to express solidarity with their protest against the CAA and the NRC. “The Act and the NRC are against the poor as they will be the most affected,” she said, urging that protests be peaceful.
The Congress would also take out ‘Save Constitution’ marches and appeal for peaceful protests as a few protests had turned violent.
