NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, JAN 11
A large number of women belonging to Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Girls Islamic Organization and other women organisations participated in a demonstration against CAA & NRC organized by Alliance Against CAA and NRC at Jantar Mantar near the Parliament House here on Saturday.
After taking out a protest march in the Jantar Mantar lane, women started their program by singing Saar-e Jahan se Achcha Hindustan Hamara…by Allama Mohammed Iqbal.
Protesters raised several slogans like “we want Azadi from CAA and NRC.”
Addressing the protesters, rights activist and convenor of the Alliance Against CAA and NRC, Ravi Nair said the role of women is very important in making the movement against CAA-NRC successful. “Women form half of the world population. You are mothers of the world. Don’t give up this movement till the goal is achieved,” Nair exhorted.
He said the effort is being made by the Modi government to make Muslims second class citizens of the country. “Christians would be the next target. Dalits and adivasis would also be targeted. Adivasis’ land is already being acquired to hand it over to corporates like Ambanis and Adanis”, he said. Nair said that people would have to fight a long battle to get CAA/NRC withdrawn.
Nair also asked people not to give documents for NRC and instead fill jails. The total capacity of Indian jails is to imprison only three lakh people. And if ten lakh people offer to go to jail, this government would fall automatically.
Nationwide protests have been on since December 11 when CAA was passed by the Parliament. On Friday, the central government issued gazette notification bringing CAA in force. However, protest demonstrations in Delhi and other parts of the country are continuing, seeking withdrawal of the controversial law.
Akhtar Hussain Akhtar from All India Momin Conference said that the presence of such a large number of women in the protest indicates “we will not surrender to the excesses of the central government.”
Activist Hasina Hashia said the Muslim women would continue the Anti-CAA movement till the obnoxious law is rescinded. This is important, she said, to preserve multi-cultural character of the nation.
Ms Sucharita, political activist from Lok Raj Sangathan, said citizenship on basis of religion is not acceptable. “We reject CAA and NRC. CAA is a weapon to kill the Constitution. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home Minister Amit Shah are against India’s Constitution, its culture and tradition. They want to divide the society on religious lines. But we don’t accept it”, she said.
Welfare Party of India president Dr. Qasim Rasool Ilyas said that anti-CAA movement launched by students of Jamia Millia Islamia has united Hindus and Muslims of the country and BJP has miserably failed to divide the people on this issue. He said that students from over 40 universities in the country organized protests and demonstrations, including those of Banaras Hindu University in support of Jamia students. He said that neither police nor Army can defeat the power of people. He hoped that Modi government would not only take back the CAA and NRC but it would also lose power owing to public protest.
The Preamble of the Constitution was also read at the event.
At the end, the protesters also took oath to continue their fight to protect the Indian Constitution that was adopted in 1950.
