Indian left parties call for weeklong protests

BJP ally SAD now opposes NRC

Left parties have called for week-long protests from January 1 against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC), National Population Register (NPR), with the apprehension of mounting miseries of people due to economic slowdown.

The left parties including, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)-Liberation, All India Forward Bloc, Revolutionary Socialist Party, will enforced the strike in solidarity with the all India General Strike on January 8.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah yesterday accused the Opposition of creating confusion over the amended Citizenship Act and blamed them for the violence in Delhi.

On the other hand, Congress yesterday accused BJP government of bringing the NRC in the garb of the National Population Register (NPR) and claimed that questions related to NRC will be asked in the pre-test forms for the NPR.

Party spokesperson Ajay Maken said, “the BJP government is trying to bring the NRC in the garb of the NPR. The BJP government wants to polarise the society,” he said. He added that the questions asked in the NPR pre-test questionnaire are not required for the exercise.

The Times of India adds: less than a month after BJP lost one of its oldest allies, Shiv Sena, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), a key partner of the NDA at the Centre, said it is “opposed to” the Citizenship Amendment Act and the NRC (National register for Citizens) since they go against the “Muslim minorities” in the country.

The statement comes even as the party voted in favour of the CAA in Parliament.

“Look at what is happening across the country (referring

to protests, violence against CAA-NRC). There is a sense of fear among Muslims. We are also a minority party (of Sikhs). My party president has already articulated and I am also making it clear that we are against anything that creates fear in the minds of minorities,” SAD leader and senior Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Gujral told TOI on Wednesday, when asked about his views on CAA and NRC. “We are also a party of minorities (Sikhs). Hence we are against anything that creates fear among minorities and the Muslims are living in fear today,” Gujral added. He elaborated on CAA being against minorities, by pointing out how “the crux of Guru Nanak’s teachings is “sarvat da pala” (wishing well for all). Sikhism is a democratic religion where all faiths are seen as equals and respected.” During a TV interview on Tuesday, Gujral said, SAD was “against the NRC” and wants Muslims to be included in the list of refugees seeking citizenship under the citizenship law. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal had said that his party does not support CAA as the legislation is against the Muslim minorities, last week.

Indian left parties call for weeklong protests

BJP ally SAD now opposes NRC

Left parties have called for week-long protests from January 1 against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC), National Population Register (NPR), with the apprehension of mounting miseries of people due to economic slowdown. The left parties including, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)-Liberation, All India Forward Bloc, Revolutionary Socialist Party, will enforced the strike in solidarity with the all India General Strike on January 8. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah yesterday accused the Opposition of creating confusion over the amended Citizenship Act and blamed them for the violence in Delhi. On the other hand, Congress yesterday accused BJP government of bringing the NRC in the garb of the National Population Register (NPR) and claimed that questions related to NRC will be asked in the pre-test forms for the NPR. Party spokesperson Ajay Maken said, the BJP government is trying to bring the NRC in the garb of the NPR. The BJP government wants to polarise the society, he said. He added that the questions asked in the NPR pre-test questionnaire are not required for the exercise. The Times of India adds: less than a month after BJP lost one of its oldest allies, Shiv Sena, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), a key partner of the NDA at the Centre, said it is opposed to the Citizenship Amendment Act and the NRC (National register for Citizens) since they go against the Muslim minorities in the country. The statement comes even as the party voted in favour of the CAA in Parliament. Look at what is happening across the country (referring to protests, violence against CAA-NRC). There is a sense of fear among Muslims. We are also a minority party (of Sikhs). My party president has already articulated and I am also making it clear that we are against anything that creates fear in the minds of minorities, SAD leader and senior Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Gujral told TOI on Wednesday, when asked about his views on CAA and NRC. We are also a party of minorities (Sikhs). Hence we are against anything that creates fear among minorities and the Muslims are living in fear today, Gujral added. He elaborated on CAA being against minorities, by pointing out how the crux of Guru Nanaks teachings is sarvat da pala (wishing well for all). Sikhism is a democratic religion where all faiths are seen as equals and respected. During a TV interview on Tuesday, Gujral said, SAD was against the NRC and wants Muslims to be included in the list of refugees seeking citizenship under the citizenship law. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal had said that his party does not support CAA as the legislation is against the Muslim minorities, last week.