Protest against CAA a defining movement in Indian history, says Sitaram Yechury

Terming protests against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as a defining movement in Indian history by calling it people's movement, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Friday said the movement against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is not a call by a political party.

Thiruvananthapuram: CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Friday said the movement against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is not a call by a political party but is the people's movement.

Terming protests against CAA as a defining movement in Indian history, Yechury, who was speaking to reporters the sidelines of a three-day CPI-M Central Committee meeting here on Friday, said: "One of the agenda of the Central Committee meeting is how to concretise the movement against the CAA, which is taking place across the country. This movement against CAA is not a call by a political party but is the people's movement."

The meeting that began on Thursday will analyse reports from the party regarding the protests against the CAA and other policies of the Central government that are anti-people.

Yechury said: "By the end of the meeting, we will come out with our solution. We want to take this movement forward because we think that this is a defining movement in Indian history. Never has India's younger generation dissent spontaneously on their own in defence of our Constitution and our country."

"The protest is something we have decided to strengthen and the concretisation will be done during our discussions," he told media persons.

"The 20 political parties did not come together to form an electoral alliance but with a common understanding to continue the protest. Those who didn't come to the meeting like TMC, DMK or BSP are on road of protest against CAA, NPR and NRC," said Yechury.

He said the CPI-M does not have problems even with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee when it comes to CAA protests.

He said by the movement against NPR, NRC and CAA the younger generations have reclaimed the national symbols from the BJP that they used for the 2019 General Elections.

"In all these protests, the common element was the national flag and collective reading of the Preamble, taking an oath to defend our Constitution," he said.

"The BJP government tried to make this into a Hindu-Muslim issue that has not worked. This has been a display of Indian patriotism. But the government propaganda is that protests were violent," he said.

The CPI-M general secretary said: "All the deaths in protests have taken place only in the BJP ruled states. There were 21 deaths in UP, five in Assam, two in Karnataka, all BJP state governments."

When asked about the Kerala Governor's criticism of Kerala government moving to the Supreme Court against CAA, he said: "The elected governments of States have constitutionally guaranteed rights to take decisions on the interest of the state and its people."

"If a state feels a Central act is against the interest of the state and its people, then it can file a petition in the Supreme Court. The Governor is not appointed by the rules of business. He is appointed by the Constitution of India," added Yechury.