CPI (ML) observed nationwide protest day against CAA
Lucknow, 15 March. CPI(ML) has strongly condemned the sending of two leading AISA workers to jail for protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Prayagraj.
The party observed a nationwide protest day on Thursday against CAA.
State Secretary Sudhakar Yadav issued a statement yesterday saying that there was a protest on Wednesday near Allahabad University on the national call of AISA-RYA against CAA. After a peaceful protest during the day, AISA University unit vice-president leader Bhanu Kumar and Alok Ambedkar were arrested by the police from the organization's office at midnight and sent to Naini Central Jail the next day. The CPI (ML) leader termed it as the dictatorship of the government and demanded immediate and unconditional release of both the leaders.
The party, observing National Protest Day against CAA, demonstrated in the districts on Thursday and sent a memorandum addressed to the President. Calling the law discriminatory, communal and divisive, it demanded its repeal.
On this occasion, the speakers said that issuing the CAA notification on March 11, 2024, when Lok Sabha election is round the corner, is a sign of a deep conspiracy. This law talks about granting citizenship only to the followers of six religions – Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, Jain and Parsi, who have come to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till 2014 and have been living here for six years. This law denies citizenship to refugees like Muslims, Tamils, Rohingyas, Ahmadiyas etc. Whereas the Citizenship Act of 1955 does not talk about granting citizenship based on religion. Therefore CAA is unconstitutional. This breaks the secular structure of the Constitution.
Speakers cautioned that after CAA, the BJP government will bring NRC, as has been evident from several speeches of Home Minister Amit Shah. Through NRC, the citizenship of Muslims will be taken away if they do not have documents. If they do not have documents, the poor, labourers and tribals will also be declared infiltrators and driven out. CAA has been implemented to promote polarization. This is a law that divides the country. Therefore it should be cancelled. Apart from Lucknow, protest day was also celebrated in other districts.
