Kolkata: Senior CPI (M) leader and politburo member, Mohammed Salim on Thursday said that the BJP through their unconstitutional policies is uniting the citizens of the country. Salim was addressing a protest rally in Kolkata against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizen (NRC).
CPM along with 16 other Left parties had called for a Bharat Band over the controversial citizenship act. In Kolkata, thousands of Left supporters participated in the rally today.
CPM against NRC
“The more divide and rule politics the BJP will play the more united will the common public be. The saffron camp is following the footprints of the British. They used to keep freedom fighters in different jail based on their religion. Now the BJP is also doing the same,” mentioned Salim.
Speaking on the occasion, Salim said after the Jamia Millia University incident where the protesting students were brutally beaten by the police, students from all over the country especially in Bengal will protest more against the implementation of NRC.
“BJP and saffron camp controlled police is carrying out undemocratic acts over the common people of India. Constitution is like two strong legs on which a person stands. But BJP is trying to break the legs (constitution), they are unaware of the fact that if the constitution breaks the country will also break,” stated the politburo member.
Attacking ruling Trinamool Congress’ supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Salim alleged that even West Bengal police is not giving permission to the Left Front to hold any demonstration across the state.
“Just like BJP police is heckling Left leaders in Delhi and in BJP ruled states, Mamata Banerjee police is also not permitting us to hold any public rally. Left Front’s national secretary Prakash Karat and historian Ramchandra Guha got arrested today for their protest against CAA, even Bengal police might arrest us for hitting the streets. TMC supremo is doing this on purpose to ensure that she gets all the limelight and increase her vote bank,” alleged Salim.
The senior Left leader also said, “We are a secular party and work for the common interest of all human beings. We don’t divide people by religious lines. We had earlier demanded citizenship of every Bengali who came to West Bengal from the erstwhile East Pakistan and now Bangladesh. But CAA doesn’t have any provision for the minorities. So we now condemn the CAA and NRC which excludes the Muslims from getting Indian citizenship.”
“CPM MPs had given three amendments regarding the CAB which clearly mentioned that people from all minority communities from the neighbouring countries should be given citizenship which also includes Sri Lankan Tamils residing in Tamil Nadu,” Salim added.
Except BJP, all major political parties of Bengal, including Trinamool Congress, Congress as well as civil society were seen protesting against NRC and CAA in Bengal’s state capital on December 19.
