Citizens For Democracy (CFD), Janandolana Maha Maitri (JMM), Jan Sangram Parishat (JSP), and other organisations have called for a nationwide collective people’s movement agains the amended Citizenship Act, and the extension of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) across the country.
Addressing presspersons here on Saturday, national president of CFD and activist S.R. Hiremath termed the development pertaining to the Act and the NRC as an assault on the Constitution and the values enshrined in it.
He alleged that the amendment to the Act was an insidious political design of the Sangh Parivar, which was being executed through its political wing, the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“Through the amendment, the centuries-old tolerance of Indian civilisation and its deep beliefs in human values and universal brotherhood have been attacked,” he alleged.
Mr. Hiremath said that the doctrine of a nation based on religion was a failed attempt and the BJP, with its dangerous ideology of ‘Hindu Rashtra’, was trying to take a retrogade step just like Mohammed Ali Jinnah, who failed utterly.
“The urgent need of the hour is a nationwide effective and determined strong protet against the insidious moves of the Union government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are behaving in the same manner as the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi behaved during Emergency,” he said.
Mr. Hiremath said that the amended Citizenship Act which made religion a criteria for citizenship was in stark contrast to the very essence of the Constitution and its values.
He said a series of programmes and workshops will be held in the coming months prior to taking out the ‘Sharan Sant Sandesh Yatra’ from Basava Kalyana in Bidar distric to Dehu near Pune in Maharashtra.
Mr. Hiremath said that Samaj Parivartana Samudaya (SPS) would welcome the Supreme Court’s decision to allow hearing on the infamous denotification case of Benniganahalli pertaining to the present Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and the former Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
