Vijayawada: Call for secular forces to fight Citizenship Amendment Bill, National Register of Citizens

Vijayawada: The secular forces should unite to fight against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) which are against the basic principles of the Constitution and secularism, said V Srinivasa Rao, member of the CPM Central Committee while addressing the protest demonstration here on Friday.

A large number of the CPM activists sporting black shirts participated in the demonstration. The activists raised slogans against the BJP and its communal policies at the Lenin Centre here.

Addressing the meeting presided over Donepudi Kasinath, West Krishna CPM executive committee member, Srinivasa Rao said that the BJP introduced the Bill to gain political mileage. He demanded apology from BJP to the nation for introducing such a Bill.

He said that the BJP was playing a dangerous game to divide the country on communal lines. He also demanded an explanation by the YSR Congress and the TDP for supporting the Bill and NRC.

He recalled that a massive agitation against the Bill was launched by people in the North-Eastern States.

Srinivasa Rao pointed out that the CPM also launched a massive agitation on Friday throughout the country. He appealed to the people to participate in large numbers in an agitation planned by the party on December 19.

Ch Babu Rao, State executive member, said that the BJP which had miserably failed in containing the prices of the essential commodities was indulging in such tactics to divert the attention of people.

He lambasted the members of Parliament from the State except Kesineni Nani for supporting the bill unabashedly.

CPM leaders Y Venkateswara Rao, V Umamaheswara Rao, Dadala Subba Rao, V Venkateswarlu, Y Kesava Rao, DV Krishna, Nagotu Prasad, D Vishnuvardhan, Bojadla Nageswara Rao and others participated.