Masihuzzama Ansari | India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI, JANUARY 17—Expressing solidarity with the Muslims, dalits, adivasi and backward caste leaders on Thursday declared to launch a nationwide agitation against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) if the central government refuses to withdraw the contentious law.
Addressing a press conference organised by the “Alliance Against CAA, NRC and NPR” at the Press Club of India here, they said that a law based on religious discrimination and intended to divide the society which in long term weaken the country was not acceptable and they would oppose it with all the might at their command.
Prominent among those who addressed the press meet included Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Professor Sonajhari Minj, retired IPS officer and well-known social activist S R Darapuri, Ambedkar Mahasabha president Ashok Bharati, dalit intellectual Anil Chamadia and Delhi University Professor N Sukumar.
Darapuri said that a law which was in violation of the basic principles of the Constitution, could not be allowed to be implemented. He said that the CAA brought by the BJP government was in contravention of the basic provisions of the Constitution and would be used to harass Muslims. “Dalits are with the Muslims on the issue because they very well understand its dangers inherent in the law”, he said.
“What is the guarantee that a government which was violating the principles of equality guaranteed in the Constitution with regard to the Muslims, will not do the same with respect to Dalits, adivasis and backward castes and communities”, said Darapuri.
Dalit activist and Ambedkar Mahasabha president Ashok Bharati said that the “government has taken oath on the Constitution of India, not Manusmriti. If it wants to legislate and run the country according to the provisions in the Manusmriti, we will not accept it at all”.
He said that the BJP government was not bothered at all about minorities and harassing them ever since Narendra Modi became prime minister in May 2014, on one or the other pretext.
He asked, “What is the government doing for persecuted Dalits and adivasis? Are they being persecuted because they belong to a particularly caste? Why the government is not speaking about atrocities on Dalits and adivasis?”
Replying to questions, Anil Chamadia said, “The policies of the ruling dispensation is destroying the nation in three ways. Firstly, it is destroying “bahujan” people accounting for majority of the population of the country. Secondly, it is destroying national institutions. And thirdly, it is destroying democratic values, with a view to achieving its nefarious long-term political objective”.
Representatives of the alliance said that they were opposed to the CAA based on religious discrimination. “If the government fails to withdraw it, we will launch a nationwide agitation against it along with Dalits, adivasis and other backward caste people”, they said.
They said that the present government was targeting Muslims and subjecting them to all kind of atrocities. Dalits and adivasis were also facing systematic attacks during the Narendra Modi government. “No day passes when an incident of atrocity on Dalits and adivasis is not reported from one or the other corner of the country”, they said.
