India protests continue

Left parties on Monday staged a sit-in at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi against the police action on protests against the amended Citizenship Law and anti-NRC protestors over the past few weeks in the country, reports NDTV.

At least 26 people, including 16 from Uttar Pradesh, are dead and scores were injured during clashes between protestors and police over the last month as nationwide protests led to  thousands being arrested.

The simple kolam (rangoli) seems to be becoming the symbol of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register for Citizens in Tamil Nadu, reports Times of India.

A day after the Chennai city police arrested (and later released) eight youths, including five women, for drawing kolams in Besant Nagar, DMK members in the state on Monday drew kolams outside their residences with anti-CAA and anti-NRC messages.

Kolams were drawn at DMK women wing leader and Lok Sabha member Kanimozhi’s residence at CIT Colony here on Sunday evening. On Monday morning, kolams appeared outside late party chief M Karunanidhi’s Gopalapuram residence and outside president M K Stalin’s Alwarpet residence.

The kolams outside the residences of DMK cadre had messages like ‘Vendam CAA-NRC’ (No need for CAA-NRC.’ Some of them challenged police to take action against the protesters.

‘It is based on the orders of our leader (Stalin) we have drawn kolams outside our residences. We will continue to draw such kolams in the coming days,’ said a DMK leader

Party’s women wing will stage a protest in Chennai in which the women wing members will draw different types of kolams with messages against the CAA and the NRC.

Tamil month Margazhi is famous for kolams, and women in the state draw different types of kolams.

Meanwhile, lashing out at the BJP government for trying to brand the protesters against the Citizenship Amendment Act as ‘anti-nationals’, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday urged political parties and civil society groups to join hands and isolate BJP across the country, reports NDTV.

Mentioning that the BJP was trying to take away the citizenship of legal citizens of the country, Mamata Banerjee said she would not allow the updation of the National Population Register, which had already been stayed by her government.

‘BJP is planning to take away the citizenship of legal citizens. I would appeal to everybody to join hands against the BJP and isolate them everywhere,’ Mamata Banerjee said before the commencement of her 5-km-long protest march in Purulia town.

Whoever was conducting peaceful protest was being termed as anti-national, Mamata Banerjee said.

‘I will not stop my protest till the CAA is withdrawn. Just ensure that your names are there in the voters list. The rest will be taken care of by me. No one will have to leave this country,’ she said.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net