After December 19’s massive rally against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in which nearly 50,000 people took part, Kalaburagi city is gearing up to see another mammoth mobilisation on Tuesday on the same issue.
“The People’s Forum, a conglomerate of different organisations, which mobilised people for the December 19th programme has now roped in more Left, Dalit and other organisations. The mobilisation would naturally be more this time,” Mahesh Rathod, one of the conveners of the People’s Forum, said in a press conference here on Friday.
“It will be a massive show of strength with the participation of over 3 lakh people this time. We have received a very good response from the people during our campaign for the public meeting. We have made all the arrangements at Peer Bangali ground, which is around 13 acres, near Hagaraga Cross off Ring Road. There will be no procession. Only a public meeting would be held,” Asgar Chulbul, another convener, said.
As per the information provided by the organisers, Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary of Communist Party of India (Marxist); Atul Kumar Anjan, national secretary of the Communist Party of India; T.S. Suneet Kumar, State executive committee member of Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist); Sharad Pawar, president of Nationalist Congress Party; M.K. Stalin, DMK president; H.D. Kumaraswamy, former Chief Minister; M. Mallikarjun Kharge, general secretary of the All-India Congress Committee; S. Sasikanth Senthil, former IAS officer, activists C.S. Dwarakanath and Swamy Agnivesh have consented to participate as speakers in the public meeting.
“India is reeling under economic slowdown, poverty and unemployment. The atrocities on Dalits, women, Adivasis and working masses have phenomenally increased. The BJP-led government at the Centre has completely failed to address these issues. That is why it has come up with unconstitutional CAA and NRC simply to divert the attention of the masses. It is not just the divide and rule policy inherited by the British, it is also a divert and rule devised by the BJP itself,” R. K. Hudgi, an activist-intellectual, said.
K. Neela, State vice-president of Janwadi Mahila Sanghatan, Bheemashankar Madiyal, District Secretary of CPI, Sharanabasappa Mamshetty, District Secretary of CPI(M), Mahesh, leader of SUCI(M) and other leaders of the People’s Forum were present.
