Equating the stir against CAA, NRC, and NPR with the freedom movement of India, activist and founder of Samaj Parivartana Samudya S.R. Hiremath has called upon the people to transform the agitation into a second freedom struggle.
He was speaking at a district-level convention organised on CAA, NRC, and NPR by the Anti-CAA Progressive Organisations’ Forum on Monday.
Describing CAA as an Act formulated to divide the nation on religious lines, he said that even the British did the same to rule over India during the invasion.
“Today, we have to fight similar ideologies that is conspiring to divide the nation. We must all come together and show the world how a second freedom struggle looks like,” he said.
Criticising Union Minister Anurag Thakur for raising a slogan that called for shooting people who are against CAA, Mr. Hiremath said: “It is utterly disgraceful and shameful of a Union Minister to stoop this low,” he said.
Praising the women of Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, who are sitting on a dharna for nearly two months, Mr. Hiremath said they are an example of how to protect the Constitution.
In his address, activist and progressive thinker Shivasundar asserted that while Dr. B.R. Ambedkar wanted equality for all, V.D. Savarkar wanted Minorities and Dalits to be second class citizens of India.
“Today, it is a fight between the ideology of Ambedkar and Savarkar. The BJP wants to implement the ideology of Savarkar with the help of CAA, NRC and NPR, and we must fight against all fascist forces to save the Constitution of Ambedkar,” he said.
Accusing the BJP of trying to convert India into a ‘Hindu Rashtra’, Mr. Shivasundar urged the people to spoil every such attempt of the BJP.
Stating that the BJP was spreading canards that only Muslims were opposing CAA, he said that every Indian who believes in the Constitution irrespective of their religious belief is protesting against CAA.
He asserted that their agitation against CAA will continue till the government withdraws the Act.
