Rollback Citizenship Amendment Act: Left parties demand

Mancherial: Demanding roll back of CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), 2019, the Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) and CPI (ML) New Democracy staged a joint protest taking out a rally from bus station to Ambedkar statue here on Thursday. It may be mentioned here that the protest was as part of the Left Parties' joint call for nationwide demonstration opposing the CAA, claiming that the CAA can't be given on the basis of religion.

Speaking on the occasion, CPI district secretary K Shankar, CPM district secretary S Ravi and New Democracy district secretary T Srinivas criticised the BJP-led Central government, terming the CAA as unconstitutional and divisive. The bill, which aims to provide citizenship to non-Muslim refugees, indicates that the BJP had expressed its intention indirectly that it was against the Muslims, the leaders said. The leaders said that the BJP is making mockery of democracy and destroying the secular foundation of the country by violating the Constitution.

"Even though the BJP government's policies have deepened economic crisis in the country, its cadres have resorted to spread misinformation about the CAA. The bill is nothing but the promotion of Hindutva agenda," the Left leaders alleged. The BJP government, which has sufficient numbers in the Parliament, carrying its own agenda of communal divide and social polarisation, which is detrimental to the unity and integrity of the country, the leaders said.

The leaders threatened to intensify the agitation if the Centre fails to withdraw the CAA bill. Leaders Mekala Dasu, Jogula Mallaiah, Sunny Goud, Rajani, Kanakalaxmi, Shankaraiah of CPI, Prakash, Govardhan of CPM, Lal Kumar, Manga, Mallaiah, Brahmanandam and Jaffer of New Democracy were among others present.