Denouncing Citizenship Amendment Act Left parties line up weeklong protest
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 26 2019:
With the Citizenship Act coming into force and the proposed NRC (National Register of Citizens) and NPR (National Population Register) being lined up, the Left parties called a Nationwide week-long protest against 'assault on Constitution' from January 1.A joint statement of the left parties signed by D Raja, general secretary CPI, Sitaram Yechury, general secretary CPI(M), Dipankar Bhattacharya, general secretary CPI (M)-Liberation, Debabrata Biswas, general secretary AIFB and Manoj Bhattacharya, RSP, said that besides protests against the CAA, NRC and NPR, the Left parties are extending support to the all India general strike - 'Grameen bandh' on January 8 called by agriculture workers' organisations, CSOs and Central Trade Unions.
The Left parties strongly condemned the atrocities unleashed by the police on peaceful protesters in BJP ruled States particularly Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Tripura and Delhi where the police are directly under the Union Home Ministry, said the statement.
The week-long protest scheduled from January 1 to 7 was decided by the National Executive of Communist Party of India meeting held in Hyderabad on December 7 and 8, said the Left parties.
Meanwhile, a separate press release issued by the CPI general secretary D Raja has strongly condemned the arrests and detention of its party leaders in Uttar Pradesh and Manipur over anti-CAA protests.
D Raja in the statement said that the arrests of its leaders in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh who were leading peaceful protests are illegal and warned that the Modi Government 'should not play with fire' .
CPI Manipur State secretary L Sotinkumar was arrested, released on bail and re-arrested for leading a peaceful protest against CAA on December 19 at the call of the Left parties for a Nationwide protest, said D Raja and accused the BJP sympathisers of carrying out attack at its Bengaluru HQs and setting afire motorcycles parked inside the campus and damaging properties in the wee hours of December 25."The party warns the ruling Modi Government and BJP of dire consequence if they do not desist from playing with fire.
I also want to make it clear that communists do not resort to violence to quell difference of opinion and also do disguise their identity like RSS-BJP leaders...
Communists cannot be intimidated with such cowardly acts of violence" his statement read.