On a day Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in Parliament, Kolkata witnessed a massive anti-NRC rally, organised by a leftist civil society platform, Joint Forum Against NRC (the National Register of Citizens).
Cutting across party lines, thousands of people participated in the protest. Participants said, “A country cannot be run by fear [of losing one’s citizenship].” Many left parties, other than the CPI(M), participated in the rally, which was part of a month-long campaign against the Centre’s plans to pass and implement a citizenship law.
Kanhaiya Kumar, member of the national council of the Communist Party of India, said fear and religious hype had been used earlier too, but could not divide the country.
Bandh hits life
The 48-hour Assam bandh, called by the All Moran Students’ Union (AMSU) to protest the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and granting of the Scheduled Tribe status to six communities affected life in several districts of the State on Monday.
Shops, markets and financial institutions downed shutters, while schools and colleges were closed in Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Majuli, Morigaon, Bongaigaon, Udalguri, Kokrajhar and Baksa.
( With PTI inputs)
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