Shaheen Bagh protesters to rally till Amit Shah's New Delhi home for CAA dialogue after home minister's open invite; march to begin at 2 pm today

Responding to Amit Shah's open invitation for discussions on amended citizenship law, protesters at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi announced that they will rally till the Union minister's residence in the National Capital on Sunday. The march from Shaheen Bagh, the epicenter of anti-CAA protests in Delhi, to Shah's residence will commence at 2 pm, reports have said.

Protesters are expected to voice their demands with the primary one being withdrawal of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). They have also demanded that the National Population Register (NPR) exercise be immediately stopped and the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) stand cancelled.

File image of Home Minister Amit Shah. ANI

The Indian Express quoted a protester as saying, "No representatives but everyone, who has a problem with CAA would be sharing their demands with Amit Shah." However, Home Ministry officials told news agency PTI that they did not receive any request for an appointment to discuss issues related to anti-CAA protests.

On Thursday, Shah said he was open to discussions with anyone, including protesters at Shaheen Bagh. "I want to say that they (Shaheen Bagh protesters) should ask for time from my office. Within three days I will give time. I have said I will meet anyone, but nobody wants to discuss," Shah said at the Times Now summit.

A section of Shaheen Bagh protesters on Saturday said they were ready to meet the Home Minister to raise concerns over the new citizenship law, but added that the onus was on the government to call them for talks.

"We are ready to meet the Home Minister. But he should make it clear how many people he wants to meet," PTI quoted Syed Ahmed Taseer, one of the protesters, as saying.

Mehrunnisa, who has been a regular at the protest, said the protesters would march to the Home Minister's residence on Sunday. "We would ask him to withdraw CAA-NRC-NPR," she said, adding that the protest would continue till their demand was met.

Quazi Emad Ahmed, a protester, said, "The protesters would begin their march from Shaheen Bagh to the home minister's residence at 2 pm. There will not be any particular representative, but all the people opposed to CAA, NRC and NPR would go there to talk to the minister."

Protests had unfolded in Shaheen Bagh, Zakir Nagar, Jamia Nagar, Khureji Khas and other places in the National Capital and elsewhere across the country in December, 2019, to oppose the CAA and the NRC.

According to the CAA, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till 31 December, 2014 and facing religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants but will be given Indian citizenship. The law excludes Muslims.

Those opposing the law alleged that the CAA along with the NRC is intended to target the Muslim community. However, the Centre has dismissed the allegations, maintaining that the law is intended to give citizenship to persecuted people from the three neighbouring countries and not to take away citizenship from anyone.

With inputs from PTI



from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2UVzr2Y
FP Staff

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