Congress leaders burned copies of the gazette notification of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Mysuru on Wednesday to express their strong opposition to the piece of legislation which has sparked outrage across the country.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokespersons M. Lakshmana and Manjula Manasa, besides former Mayor Ayub Khan and Mysuru City Congress Committee President R. Murthy, participated in the protest organised on the premises of the party’s office near City Railway Station.
The party is planning to organise a massive demonstration against the CAA in Mysuru in the coming days. The date is expected to be announced in two days’ time, said Mr. Lakshmana.
He accused the BJP government at the Centre of coming up with highly “divisive” schemes like the CAA to divert people’s attention from the falling GDP, unemployment, closing industries and other issues like atrocities on women in the country.
After abrogating Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, banning triple talaq and implementing National Register of Citizens in Assam, the BJP government had brought in the CAA as part of its “secret agenda” to convert India into a “Hindu Rashtra”, he alleged.
In Hassan
Hundreds of Muslims took part in a protest meeting convened under the banner of Muslims Welfare Association at Pension Mohalla on Wednesday and opposed the CAA.
Mohammed Anwar, a leader of the association, said India upheld unity in diversity. “Hindus and Muslims have been living in harmony. Any attempt to divide them through unconstitutional laws should not be tolerated. We will fight against such attempts peacefully”, he said.
If there are illegal migrants, it was the duty of the Centre to identify them. “Why are you making 130 crore people stand in long queues to prove their citizenship,” he asked. The new law has converted every Indian into a foreigner and one has to prove his or her citizenship by submitting documents”, he said.
