NE NEWS SERVICE
LUCKNOW, JAN 21
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the opposition and dared it to protest as much as they can for the Modi government will not take back the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Shah made the statement in Uttar Pradesh – the state that witnessed killing of over 20 people in protests against CAA last month.
Shah dared Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav to a public debate on CAA and said that these leaders were driven only by vote-bank politics.
“We are not bothered about the opposition because we have been nurtured with opposition,” he said.
Speaking at a pro-CAA rally in Lucknow, Shah said that there were 23 per cent minorities, including Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Christians in Pakistan at the time of Partition but the figure had come down to just three per cent today.
“Where have they gone? They have either been killed or converted or have fled to India. Many of them have left their palatial houses in Pakistan and are living in huts now.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not only giving them homes but also jobs and a better life. Is this wrong?” he asked.
He further said that Dalits were being tortured in Afghanistan where the tallest Buddha statue had been broken down. “Why is Mayawati quiet on this even though she claims to be a guardian of Dalits?” he said.
Shah slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav and accused them of opposing for the sake of opposing.
“It is the Congress that is responsible for making two “tukde’ of India,” he added.
“Have these leaders read history? Do they know that Gandhiji himself said that if Hindus feel unsafe in Pakistan, India should give them citizenship? These leaders talk but never study,” he stated.
Lashing out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the Union Home Minister said that a Dalit Bengali family was among the refugees who have been given citizenship. “And she is still opposing the CAA,” he said.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath welcomed Shah and mounted a scathing attack on the opposition and blamed them for the ‘cheer-haran’ of (stripping) the country.
A Dozen Persons, Including Children Detained in Lucknow for Flying Black Kites with ‘No CAA-NRC’ Slogan
About a dozen persons, including children, have been detained for flying black kites with ‘No CAA, NRC written on them in Lucknow on Tuesday.
It was around the same time when Union Home Minister Amit Shah was addressing a pro-CAA rally in Bangla Bazaar area here. More than a dozen persons were seen flying black kites in the posh Mall Avenue area.
As soon as the police received information, they rushed to the spot and brought down the kites. Some of those flying kites ran away but some have been detained.
The police have also recovered huge quantities of black kites with “No CAA, NRC”, written on them from the accused persons.
Over 20 Killed in UP during Anti-CAA Protests in December
Since CAA was passed by the Parliament on December 11, there have been massive nationwide protests against the law that seeks to give Indian citizenship only to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Along with other parts of the country, Uttar Pradesh also witnessed massive protests against CAA on December 19 and 20. Some of the protests turned violent – police opened lathi-charge and firing. Over 20 people were killed – most of them allegedly in police firing.
Several media reports said cops barged into homes in Meerut, Kanpur, Muzaffarnagar and other places, assaulted people and destroyed properties.
After the protests, several hundred people were arrested from different parts of UP and thousands were booked.
SC to take up 144 petitions on CAA
Three judges of the Supreme Court will on Wednesday take up 144-odd petitions that have been filed over the contentious Citizenship (Amendment Act) that has led to protests in several parts of the country including national capital Delhi. While most of the petitions challenge the constitutional validity of CAA, some of them seek a declaration that the act is constitutional.
The petitions first came up for a hearing before the top court on December 18, 2019 when the court issued notice to the central government and its top law officer, Attorney General KK Venugopal. Only 60-odd petitions had been filed by then.
The Centre had subsequently filed a transfer petition seeking transfer of CAA-related cases from high courts to the Supreme Court.
The petitioners challenging the law have submitted that the CAA discriminates on the basis of religion by segregating persons and granting them the benefit of naturalization, if they belong to a certain religion from three neighbouring countries.
This religious segregation, the petitioners submitted, is without any reasonable differentiation and it is not only violates Article 14, but is also blatantly opposed to the Basic Structure of the Constitution.
Supporters of CAA have argued that the exclusion of Muslims from the three countries is reasonable since Muslims are in a majority in the three countries and are hence not in danger of being persecuted for their faith.
