Kolkata: Seeking support of the general public across the country to make ‘All India Workers Strike’ successful on January 8, the Left Front and the Congress, on Friday held a combined protest rally in Kolkata demanding immediate rejection of NRC and CAA.
The rally led by Left Front Chairman Biman Bose, CPI-M state Secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra and Bengal Pradesh Congress Chief Somen Mitra was organised from Subodh Mullick Square to Mahajati Sadan in central Kolkata.
Speaking to eNewsroom, Bose said, “The Left parties extend support to all the farmers and agricultural workers who have called for a general strike on January 8. I urge all our units and all the states across the country to organise powerful protest movements against the assault on the Indian Constitution by Narendra Modi led BJP government through the CAA, NRC, NPR.”
The Left will also be holding a seven-day nationwide protest from January 1 to 7, which will be followed by works’ strike.
Sumar Ghosh Hazra, a Left cadre from Howrah said, “No matter how much the chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee is holding demonstrations, taking on the streets against the NRC, she cannot fight the ‘tyrant’ BJP.”
“The huge gathering in all the protest march by the Left gives a clear indication that the CPI (M) and its allied parties along with Congress can led the fight against BJP in Bengal. If the CAA and NRC is not stopped immediately then there will be a large-scale violence across the country which will not be beneficial for anyone,” He added.
Somen Mitra, Bengal State Congress president, while holding a placard against the BJP government said, “Our message is very clear that only the Congress and Left can fight against BJP. Only we can put up a mass movement against the communal BJP government. With the divisive policies being doled out, the saffron camp cannot survive for long.”
Mitra also announced that though this was the first joint protest organised by both the parties who have also formed an alliance for the upcoming Assembly elections, both the parties will hold more protest rallies together if the CAA is not scrapped off immediately.
A Congress supporter Ramanuj Ahmed said on the occassion, “My mother is a Hindu. My elder sister is also married to a Hindu. Not just me there are innumerable families that believe in inter community marriages. We all believe in fraternity but it is the BJP who is igniting communal wars across the country for their own vote bank politics.”
